The Rise of Jane
by thisnameisnowtaken
Summary: 1492: Jane is in Rome, and she is there for a reason; the election of a new Pope has started, and whoever wins stands with the power to crown and uncrown kings. When Jane's ally inside the Vatican is then elected Pope, she suddenly finds herself entangled in the webs that power and lust binds. The ends justify the means, yes, but will the ends ever be reached? Jane/OC
1. Prologue

_A short A/N, even though I promised not to make any (which is a promise I intend on keeping). This is reuploaded with longer chapters and some more plotline, but will probably be pretty much the same as the original version in the begginning... If you find some flaws in my writing, I would love some criticism! I will try to update onc every week, but it can be hard when you're in your second year of high school (soon) plus and elite swimmer... But I'll do my best! Enjoy!_

* * *

**The Rise of Jane**

**Prologue:  
**_Turkey, Juny 1492_

Jane sat in the dark, staring into the flames, watching as it shot out thousands of small sparks into the cool, Turkish night. She sat in the port of Ephesus, waiting for the next day to begin. Her travel party would set sails towards Italy as soon as the sun rose.

"I think I shall leave you now, sis," Alec said, rising from the pavement, "the sun will soon rise."

Jane looked up at him and nodded. "I will follow you soon, but first I will have to speak to Ebecen," she told him. Alec nodded and turned around. Soon, he had dissappeared in the night's shadows.

Jane turned back around and looked into the black eyes of the young, Turkish man. He had a dark, clever face, covered with black hair. He looked like a man with a consciousness, but you shouldn't be deceived by his looks. Jane had found that he was ready to do nearly anything to raise money and respect to him and his company– which was one of the only things about him, that Jane was unsure about. She actually had no idea what the actual work of his company was. She knew that he travelled a lot, and that he did business with two of the states of Italy and with Greece. What business, he wouldn't tell her. For her, he worked as a travelling companion and as a guide.

"When was the last time you were in Italy?" she asked.

"I have only just returned from my latest travel there," he answered, "I left Naples about two weeks ago."

"Can you tell me something about it?"

"What would you like to know?" Ebecen's voice was cool and calm.

Jane knew that with this man, you'd have to be straight-forward and therefore she said: "tell me, who is the most powerful person in the entire country – in all of the Italian states?"

"The Pope of Rome," Ebecen answered with no hesitation, "he is probably the most powerful man in all of Europe."

"The head of the Church? Yes, I would have guessed so. Who is the Pope now?"

"Right now, the Pope is called Pope Innocent VIII, but when I left, he had just gotten down with fever, and I am doubtful that he will survive. After all, he is an old man. If luck is with you, you might even be in Rome for the election of a new Pope. That is always very exciting," said Ebecen, "never are the streets of Rome as filled with blood and treachery, as they are during a Papal election."

Jane nodded. "Who do you expect to win the election?"

"I don't expect anything," he said, "but whoever wins stands with power enough to crown and uncrown kings."

"Then he must be a good ally to have," Jane said. But the gleam in her eyes, as she rose to find rest in Ebecan's ship, said that soon she would find out exactly _how _good an ally, this Pope was.


	2. Chapter 1 All Roads Lead to Rome

**CHAPTER 1: All Roads Lead to Rome**  
_Italy, 15th of July, 1492_

Jane and Alec continued their travel by horse from the port of San Marino. Ebecen had had business to do in Venice, which was why they didn't land in Naples. Jane, who was eager to get to Rome before the Papal election would be over, was determined to be a part of the apparently violent politics of the Vatican. But Alec had not felt the same way, apparently. He was, as always, much more interested in the cultural rebirth of the northern states.

So a few miles south of San Marino, he suddenly said: "I wish to visit Florence, sis."

Jane wasn't startled; Alec hadn't said a word ever since they had met that man, who had been preaching of the "rinascita italiana" – the Italian rebirth. A rebirth of ideals that had been dead since the Roman Empire, and Alec, always very interested in historical culture, and who had respected the ancient Romans, had asked the man hundreds of question about this. So Jane wasn't surprised, that Alec wished to leave for Florence.

"What do you think?" he asked after a while of silence.

"What I think?" Jane said, "Why would you need to know my thoughts of this?"

"Firstly, Aro put _you_ in the head of this mission," Alec said, "and secondly, you are my sister and travelling companion. I can't just leave you."

"Well, if you need it, you have my permission. But as you well know, I will have to continue to Rome, and quickly. Pope Innocent might not be dead yet, but apparently it is only a question of time."

Since they were inside the boarders of the Papal States, Vatican news flourished much more than other news - and the illness of the Pope of Rome wasn't just something; it could mean an entirely new life for most people, not just in the Papal States, not just in Italy, but in all of Europe and even some of the countries south of Europe. Therefore it had been easy to find information about the current state of the Pope.

Five days later, Jane was a little more than halfway to Rome (it didn't last long before her patience with the horse ran up, and she had decided to run herself). It was very short before dawn, when she finally reached the city of Terni. Since the sun would soon be up, she was in a rush to get a room, and the first tavern she reached was the one she entered. The man behind the bar was a big man with short, black hair that seemed quite happy about having a young woman renting a room on her own. Jane decided to stay in the bar to find some news about the Pope, but before she got that far, she heard someone say her name.

"Do you have a guest called Jane? She arrived alone," a man asked the owner. Jane made her way through the crowd to talk to him.

"You are looking for me, I believe," she said. He was young, she noticed when he turned around. Four days old at the most.

"You are Jane?" he asked, stupidly. Very human. Definitely young, Serena thought.

"Yes, obviously," she said.

He smiled nervously, and then handed over a letter. "This is from Alec. I am his apprentice."

Then the boy rose and walked away. She realized suddenly, that even as a human, he hadn't been that old. When he was changed, he had probably been 15 or 16 years old, but he already looked much older. It was the eyes, the expression on his face. This was the normal way. Vampires might not grow higher or wider, but in their eyes, in their faces, the age of them was easy to read.

She looked down at the letter and started reading:

_To my dear sister, Jane  
I reached Florence three days after our parting, and I have already found myself a small shop with a cellar. I have started a medical shop, where I can treat people with those medicines that I have experimented with.  
Also, it seems that I can do further experiments in the cellar. This city has all that I need; there is a shop for everything. This is why I do not have the time to write a longer letter than this. I am experimenting with a cream, which will allow vampires to walk in daylight. I know how it sounds, but I am already making progress, and even though the last experiment went wrong, I think I may know why.  
You must excuse my apprentice, who delivered this letter, for his abrupt departure, but I need his assistance here in Florence. I will write you again soon._

_With all the best of regards  
Alec_

Jane smiled. She recognized her passionate brother in this letter. He was always like this when it came to physics. Ever since he was a young human, he had started to learn the many usages of the herbs and plants that grew near their home in Britain. She put the letter away in the inside pockets of her traveling clothes, and then retreated to her room.

* * *

Jane entered the large, white gate, which was the northern gate of the city of Rome, on the night before the 24th of July. The city was far more magnificent than she had expected; tall buildings rose towards the sky, some were up to four floors high; the streets were wide, with room for two carriages; fountains and monuments would every now and then appear and add to the beauty of this eternal city. Even though the streets were dusty and the buildings dirty, and even though you sometimes passed groups of homeless people or orphans, Jane looked beyond this. Some of these buildings had stood there since the great days of the Roman Empire; some of the houses were old insulae that had been rebuilt and renovated throughout the years. The city, which every road leads to - the eternal city - that was soon to be the center of the world again.

Jane had not realized the time, that had passed, or the distance that she had walked, before she suddenly stood in the midst of the greatest beauty, she had ever seen; she had stepped into St. Peters Square. It would have been impossible to describe the beauty of this place – if it was beauty as much as it was magnificence. The Square was larger than she had thought any city would have been able to find room for, and not only that; the pavement was white and clean, and it was surrounded by white stone arcades, that lead the eye directly to an even more unbelievable sight; the St. Peter's Church was frightening in its beauty, in its prefecture. Jane could do no more than stand, astonished by all this beauty, which was collected in one place, put together so beautifully. Behind all of this, you could see the rest of the Vatican City and its astonishing estates. Jane couldn't imagine how it would feel like, to live here every day. Did you get used to this marvel?

Jane uttered a low curse when she realized, that dawn was close. That cream, which Alec had spoken about, sounded very appealing in that moment. She wished, she had had time to look inside the church, but she knew already that it would probably take hours for her to make herself leave again, and she needed to find shelter before dawn. Jane wasn't interested in art as much as politics, but architecture wasn't just art – it played a role in politics, too. You couldn't rule a country without being able to make beautiful buildings. Also, Jane found it hard to look into and be moved by statues or paintings. They were never perfect, never so close to reality, that she could comprehend them. But architecture didn't just _look_ like reality, it _was _reality.

She finally backed out of the Square and went back into the normal part of the city, which now seemed dark and dirty compared to the Vatican's beauty. She found an inn as close to the Square as possible (it wasn't very difficult to do, since the Vatican was the heart of this city), and rented a room.

* * *

When Jane entered her room, the first thing she did was beating the shutters to avoid the sunlight, but as soon as she had made these precautions she started her investigation of those Italian politics. Rumor had it that the Pope had called the cardinals to his rooms to say his last words to them, and she was in a hurry to find out, which her ally should be.

She decided to change her clothing into a long-sleeved dress and a veil that let almost no skin bare to the sunlight, so that she could go down into the dark barroom. She wanted to ask a few questions about the Papacy.

* * *

Jane had just returned to her room after successfully having found some information about the cardinals - she now knew who were the likeliest to win the election that would follow a Pope's death, and she knew both their strengths and weaknesses; she had found that surprisingly often a cardinal's weakness would be closely linked with, if not the same as his strength – when it knocked on the door.

"Jane?" asked a familiar voice, though Jane couldn't put a finger on it. She went to the door to answer it. Outside stood an Italian boy with black hair and dark eyes, young and thin, but very attractive. Jane recognized him as Alec's new apprentice. Since she didn't know his name, she simply said "good morning," and let him in.

"Thank you." he said, and passed by her. He placed himself to stand awkwardly in the middle of the little room, which had only one window, a bed and a stool as interior. Pieces of paper were spread all over the wooden floor, with notes scribbled all over them. The young man pointed at the papers and said: "You have been busy, I see."

"I have," Jane answered, "'Alec's apprentice'" she added with a smile.

The apprentice smiled back - a charming smile, Jane noted, but a nervous one. "My name is Julio," he said. After some silence, he said: "Before I leave you this time, I must know where to find you the next time I am to bring a message from Alec. It took me a good while to find you."

Jane suddenly realized something: to arrive now, he had to have walked in daylight: "You were out in daylight," she said.

"Yes, and that is partly why I am here," he said. "I have a letter for you."

Jane took the letter that Julio handed to her. She sat down on her stool and opened it:

_My dearest sister  
I send you another too short letter, but I am so busy with my business that I have barely had time for experimenting on my own. Fortunately, I have finished that cream I told you about. Except it did not become a cream, but rather an elixir. It is very strong; I must warn you, so when you use it, only take a few drops. I sent my apprentice with a bottle for you, and he will tell you more about this. _  
Jane knew that Alec, however intelligent he was, had no talent whatsoever for explaining. Or talking, or expressing himself in words at all.  
_I hope that you have equal success in your quest. You must send a message back with Julio, my apprentice, this time. _

_Alec._

Jane looked up at Julio. "You have more for me?" she asked, rhetorically.

"Oh, yes," he rummaged around in the pockets on inside of his cloak, until finally revealing a glass bottle, that Jane recognized from one of the many times, she had watched Alec in his laboratories. "It is an elixir that allows you to walk in daylight."

Jane took the elixir and held it up in front of her eyes. It was a clears substance, which looked like water, except it had a gleam of red in it. "How does it work?" Not that Jane really cared, but she knew that her interest made Alec happy.

"If you mix human and vampire blood with some alcohol and some water, it will make your blood – or poison, if you will, seem humanly. You will become more human. Because of the alcohol, your poison will not start rejecting the human blood right away, and the human blood will reject the sun's attempt to reveal you. Simply, the blood will minimize your general vampire features, like the shining, but unfortunately also your speed and strength. Alec is working on that, though."

"And why add the water?" Jane asked.

"To bind it all together," Julio answered simply. Jane nodded. It made perfect sense, in fact. This was the first time that she had really understood some of that nonsense that Alec worked with.

"You don't like physics?" asked Julio, "Or just don't understand them?"

Jane looked at him, shocked. "You read my thoughts?" she asked, more surprised than angry.

"No!" he said, shocked. "But I may have sensed your feelings," he continued, only having realized it in that moment.

"Interesting," Jane said, but then thought no more of it. It was Alec's responsibility to tell Julio about the abilities that he might or might not have in the future. But Julio looked so shocked and frightened, that she couldn't help herself. "It's your ability. Some vampires have them. Alec will explain more about it," she said, not in a soothing voice, but the fact that she had even said something was very relaxing to the young vampire.

"Do you have one, too?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered, and found that she wasn't able to tell him about it. She didn't know why she was hiding it from him; she had never been ashamed of her 'talent', actually she was usually proud of it. But now, whether it was his innocence or that she was afraid of him thinking badly of her, she didn't know. Usually she didn't care what people thought of her. But Julio – he gave her a feeling, that because of his youth and innocence, he was actually in his right to judge her.

"What is it?"

Jane hesitated. "It doesn't matter," she finally said.

"I'm sorry," Julio said, surprisingly. "I shouldn't ask you such questions. I didn't know if our talents are supposed to be kept a secret."

Jane nodded, not wanting to continue the conversation. The silence quickly became uncomfortable. Finally, Julio broke the silence: "Can I ask what you have been working on?"

"Of course," Jane answered, relieved that the awkwardness was over, "I was trying to find out whom I should support in the Papal election."

"The Papal election? Surely the Pope hasn't died yet?"

"He will, soon enough." Jane kneeled on the floor and found a piece of paper, on which some names were scribbled. "These are cardinals that I find likely to win." She pointed on the paper, and Julio read aloud: "Cardinals Oliviero Carafa, Rodrigo Borgia, da Costa, Michiel and Giuliano Della Rovere. Who do you expect will win?"

"Most people would say Carafa or Della Rovere. But if find that Borgia has, well, some other qualities, which should be to his benefit."

"And which qualities would they be?" Julio asked, looking up from the papers. Jane realized that they had ended up sitting very close to each other. She had never been as close to a man as this, except for her brother and Aro.

"He has the best kind of allies that you can have: family."


	3. Chapter 2 Conclave

**Chapter 2: Conclave**

Jane had no idea how to contact the Pope, but she supposed that she would figure it out somehow. Now that she could use Alec's invention, she could walk in broad daylight, so she had decided to visit the Vatican as soon as she had taken the elixir.

Her clothing was very fashionable; a long, blue gown with a high bust and rectangular cut, richly decorated with golden brocades. As a show of status she had decided to wear a necklace with a large cross in blue stones. Hurrying down the streets of Rome, she looked like a traditional upper-class lady during that time.

When Jane finally entered the Basilica, she was taken aback by the beauty. The walls and pillars reached so high that she was sure you could place twenty men on top of each other without reaching the roof. The walls and the roof were decorated with pictures and statues of saints and angels. The complicated patterns, which covered the roof, had her confused, and she forced her gaze down. In the large room, the voices of the people that were inside the church were magnified, but the words seemed to fade away. Anyhow, the most beautiful thing of them all wasn't a part of the architecture; it was how the light seemed to fall down from the windows, illuminating the Basilica in a strange, but very beautiful way.

While looking around the inside of the Basilica, she suddenly saw some wooden compartments, halfway hidden behind the massive pillars. The compartments were decorated with golden lines and carvings, and there seemed to be three doors in each of them. She saw a person walk into this compartment, and she saw another person walking out of another one. She wondered why they went in there, and realized that she knew almost nothing of this place.

While wondering about the use of these strange compartments, she saw a man in a red cloth walking towards one of the little rooms. He knocked on the middle door, and out came a middle aged man. They nodded to each other, and then the man in red sat inside the compartment. She hurried towards that compartment and went through the door to the left.

The door led to a small room – if you could even call it a room – which was pretty much just a seat. There was a grid through which she could see the man. She sat down, and unsure what to do, she stayed silent. The man would probably say something that would reveal the purpose of this place.

"Do you have a confession?" he asked after a while.

Jane realized that she had walked into a confessional – stupid of her not to realize that, since it wasn't the first time she had confessed. "I do," she said, and then thought of how to proceed, "but I wish to confess to the Cardinal Borgia, if it is possible."

"It is possible. I am Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia," the man said. Jane looked at him, shocked. Through the grid, she could see the face of a man, probably in his sixties. In spite of his apparently old age, he wasn't unattractive, almost the opposite. He was a handsome man with masculine face and deep, brown eyes. Even though his hair was graying and that wrinkles were forming on his face, many women would still be attracted to this man. "What do you wish to confess?" he continued.

"I have many things, which I could confess for, but none of them are the reason why I am here today," Jane answered, "I hear that the Pope is in his deathbed?"

"The Pope has not died yet, my child, and we pray every day for his recovery," the Cardinal answered in a slightly chaste voice.

"Yet it is highly unlikely that he recovers. Instead of praying, I think that you should be preparing."

"Preparing? What for?"

"The election," Jane answered, "do you have any significant alliances, for example?"

Rodrigo shifted in his seat and cleared his throat: "What is your interest in those matters? And how dare you to speak as if the Holy Father has already died?" Despite his choice of words, the Cardinal did not sound offended or angry.

"Because of that I would have you in the Papal chair, if I could. And I do not think that it is unlikely that you win the election. That is why I offer you my support."

The Cardinal laughed. "Your support? What support could you offer?"

"I am a woman, which means I can get in almost anywhere without suspicion. I have often worked for kings and other significant personalities, helping them reveal their enemies, helping them gather information. I could offer you the same services," she answered matter-of-factly, ignoring his short laugh.

Rodrigo liked her way of speaking, it was honest and direct. But he knew that no matter how direct a speech might seem, there was almost always something hidden between the lines. "You offer your services as a spy?" he asked.

"Yes, you could say that. I would be your eyes and ears outside the conclave," she said.

"And how will you deliver messages to me during the conclave?" Rodrigo asked. He was trying to hide his interest behind a flat voice.

"The conclave?"

"Yes - I suppose you know that the cardinals are being locked inside the Sistine Chapel during the election? We have no contact with the surrounding world, to prevent any sort of cheating."

Jane was silenced. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to think. She had run herself into a wall. "I… I do not know," she said, finally.

There was a silence, before the Cardinal said: "What would your services cost me?"

Jane opened her eyes wide in surprise. Would he still be interested in hiring her? "I am not sure. It is not me who needs the money; it is my father, who sent me here to raise funds for him."

"I may need someone like you after the election, you see. I would be willing to pay you some seventy florins a year, if you prove to be worth it," he said, "and _if_ I win the election."

"I would be very grateful," Jane said, stunned at the prospect of seventy florins a year. Aro would definitely be satisfied. "I would be more than grateful."

"I expect you would," the Cardinal said. Jane started to rise from her seat when the door to Rodrigo's part of the compartment was ripped open.

"Father," a young man said breathlessly, "the Pope is dead."

* * *

Jane fell back into her seat, shocked. Thoughts ran through her mind so quickly that they were forgotten long before she could trace them, making it impossible for her to calculate time. So she just sat there. She didn't know what to do. The cardinal had followed his son, undoubtedly to join the conclave, so now she just sat there, staring into the dark wood of the inside of her compartment.

For more than a month, she had prepared herself for this. She had had it all figured out – she thought. But she hadn't even known what a _confessional _was.

Suddenly, the door to the middle part of the compartment was opened. The young man, the Cardinal's son, entered. "Are you the woman who spoke to the Cardinal Borgia?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered, "I am."

"Good. I am his son, Cesare. He asked me to find out your name and how to find you."

"My name is Ja…" Jane cut herself off. She was in Italy, and Jane was a Hebrew name. She would have to use an Italian name.

While she tried to think of one, Cesare said: "Is everything all right?"

"I am sorry. It is just such a shock that the Pope has died," Jane lied, improvising for all that she was worth. Why did she not think of this before? "My name is Giovanna Volturi."

"My father told me to ask you how he could find you after the election."

"Tell him… tell him that a day after the election, at noon, I will visit this basilica again."

Cesare nodded. "Thank you and good day," he said and rose from his chair. Jane waited for some seconds, and then she rose herself from the seat.

Outside the little wooden cabin, everything had changed so suddenly. People everywhere were crying and praying, priests trying to sooth them with faithful words, others whispering in the corners, already plotting their way to power and riches. The basilica seemed empty compared to what it had been before.

Jane made her way to the grand doors of the church, and walked into the daylight. Then she stood still instantly, shocked. She hadn't gotten used to the daylight, and was suddenly taken aback. When she looked at the world, the way it looked at day, she wasn't as amazed as she'd thought she'd be. She had never thought highly of day as a human – as opposed to many other people in her age, she hadn't been afraid of the dark. She had thought it stupid – it wasn't the dark you feared, but what was inside it, yes. But why would something worth being afraid of hide in the dark? She hadn't known about vampires back then, of course.

The Square outside the Basilica was roaring, the people starting to assemble – they wanted knowledge about the Pope. Jane wondered if they knew the Pope was dead, or if they had been fed with another sort of information. Nonetheless, they knew something was up.

Jane made her way through the crowd; voices filling the air as groups of people stood so close together, that no one would be able to tell them from each other. Finally, Jane could exit St. Peter's Square. Even outside, people crowded the streets, making it almost impossible to move. The news move fast in this city, Jane thought.

At last, Jane saw her pub's sign and she fought her way the last few meters. She entered the darkness of the pub. Jane sighed in bliss – the dark and silence was way preferable to the overfilled, warm and noisy streets.

"Jane!" a man's voice said. Julio made his way from a bar stool to the door, where Jane had stopped. "You almost got me worried," he said, and Jane believed him. His voice definitely sounded worried.

"I am sorry. And what were you even worried for?" she asked.

"I don't know. Maybe the elixir was too strong, maybe it made you too weak – and with the crowd out there, who knows what could happen!" Jane usually wouldn't have liked people thinking that she was weak enough for them to worry, but she found that Julio would have worried no matter how strong she was. And it was nice that he worried. She smiled, just a little smile, but still, a smile.

"How did it go?" Julio said, suddenly remembering the reason for Jane's visit at the Vatican.

"It went… I am not sure, in fact. I met the Cardinal, but…"

"Did he decline?"

Jane looked around her. "Maybe we should go upstairs?" Julio nodded and followed her.

* * *

"So… do you expect him to support you?" Julio asked after Jane had told him what had happened.

"Yes, well, that is if he wins. Yes, I expect that he is interested. Or he would have declined, I think."

"You sound uncertain. A feeling that you rarely feel, if ever, says your brother."

"I think my brother know almost more about me than I do myself, so if he has told you so, you should believe him. And yes, I am uncertain. I couldn't quite figure him out, but he sent his son back to see me, to get everything settled. Surely, that must be a sign," Jane said.

"Yes. But you will under no circumstances find out until after the conclave. Have you planned how to spend that time?"

"No. I am afraid that I will be terribly bored."

"If your brother knows you as well as you say, that will be a nightmare."

Jane nodded. "My brother speaks a lot about me," Jane said questioningly.

"All the time," smiled Julio, "He loves you, very much."

"You already know all this about him?" Alec was a private person, like Jane, so knowing him so well after such a short time was an accomplishment.

"As you said, I have a talent for sensing feelings. And when your brother speaks about you, you do not need to be a vampire with a special talent to tell his affections for you."

Jane sat in silence for a while. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, looking at Julio, who had placed the stool a little away from the bed.

Jane sighed. "Did you want to know what my talent is?" she asked.

"I thought it was private?" Julio said.

"No, not really. I just … didn't want to tell it."

"Yes, I'd like to know it. But only if you want me to know it." Julio answered.

"I…" she didn't know how to explain, "I can bring – _immense_ – pain upon people."

"Well, can't everybody?" Julio asked, surprised. He had honestly expected something worse. Just then, it felt as if his body went up in flames. His entire body, every single cell, was screaming, struggling against something that he didn't know. It felt like as if his body was being ripped apart and healed on the same time. It felt like death, no, not death. Death would be peaceful after this; actually he wished he was dead. It felt like waking up after death. Yes, that was it. Being changed. He recognized it, this pain, even though now it seemed magnified, and he tried to scream out from it, but no words or sounds would escape his hoarse throat. What seemed a million years later – both to Julio and to Jane – but really was only a few seconds, Jane let him go.

While Julio was surprised by this physical pain, Jane was surprised to find another sort of pain, a pain she thought she had let go of many years ago. A mental pain, she had once seen worse than anything else, but which she had let go of when vampirism had led to an almost narcissistic mind.

It was the pain of seeing others in pain.

* * *

"Can you wait here, while I write a letter for my brother?" Jane asked. She was still anxious after her show of her ability, and she had no idea if Julio had any wish to stay with her another second.

"Of course," he said, his voice a little hoarse. But his eyes on her weren't judicial, nor were they frightened. They were _admiring_. How could he look at her in this way still? It began to strike her that perhaps he wasn't as innocent as you may think.

Jane reread the letter, which Julio had delivered the night before. It seemed that it had been days since Julio had knocked on her door to deliver the elixir and her brother's letter. She had missed this feeling, the feeling of a good day's work.

_Dear Alec_

Already there, she stopped, hesitating as she wondered what to write next. She was terribly bad at writing letters, and always thought that they sounded foolish.

_I am happy as always to hear of your fortune. I have made progress, too. Today, I met the Cardinal Borgia, whom I had planned to support during the election, hoping that we would continue our contact. But, it seems, it is impossible to contact a cardinal during an election. The Vatican traditions say, that after 9 days of mourning, the cardinals, who wish to vote or be voted on, will be locked inside the Sistine Chapel until a new Pope has been elected.  
In spite of this, the Cardinal did not seem reluctant to hire me and I have told his son, Cesare Borgia, how he may contact me.  
With nothing but the best wishes  
Your sister, Jane_

Jane rolled together the document and, by taking the lit candle on her window sill (which was working as a table) and tipping it so that the wax dropped down on the document, sealed it. Her Volturi signature ring was identical to the one Alec had used on the letters to her.

"Here you go," Jane said, turning around on the stool to face Julio. He had been very silent while Jane had written the letter, and she didn't need to wonder why.

Julio accepted the letter, then said: "Jane, your ability… it is…"

"I know, it is terrible," she said abruptly, attempting to avoid Julio's anger and disgust towards her.

"No, it is not that. Of course it is terrible, but…" he added, "It is… I have only once felt such pain, that in the least way could be compared to what I felt right there, and that was when I was changed. What I am trying to say, is… I do not know quite how to put it in words, for it is just an emotion to me. But it is important, I am sure of it. I shall think of it as I travel, so that I can tell it to you when I find out what it is."

Julio sounded annoyed at himself for not being able to put this into words. He waited in silence for a moment, then asked: "Are you sure that you do not want me to stay here, at least as long as the conclave lasts? You will be terribly bored, and I would not mind to keep you company."

"I am sure you would not mind, and I would certainly be happy for the company, but Alec is in need of his apprentice, I believe."

"Then goodbye, milady." Julio bowed lightly and backed towards the door politely.

"Not exactly a lady," Jane said, but he did bring a smile to her lips. Some wrinkles showed in the edges of her smile, but else she looked perfect, in fact they added to her beauty, thought Julio, and then exited the door.

Jane sighed, but kept her gaze fixed on the door for a few more seconds before looking around the room. Emptiness entered her body and mind, as she wondered what to do next. She was already bored halfway to death, and it hadn't even been five minutes. Jane sighed again.


	4. Chapter 3 I am Alexander Sixtus

**Chapter 3: I am Alexander Sixtus**

Jane landed swiftly on the roof. She had jumped around like this for a while now, the darkness hiding her from curious eyes. A large moon illuminated the sky and the world underneath it.

She had been bored. Extremely bored. And it wasn't even a day yet. The Pope, luckily would be buried the next day, and only nine days later would the Vatican proceed with the election of the new Pope. She didn't know how she'd survive the boredom.

Jane jumped down to street level. She was standing in a smaller road with little, dark houses on each side of it, and which was dirtier than most other streets in Rome. She decided to walk back to the bar in the nice, chilly air.

Jane enjoyed the silence, which had been such a rare treat lately. As she walked slowly through the night, a scream suddenly cut through the air. And what a terrifying scream it was; it was unlike the screams, that Jane herself had brought forward when she hunted (which reminded her that she soon had to hunt again). It wasn't a scream of fear of death. It was a scream of fear for something perhaps even worse.

Jane had learned that there were but three kinds of deaths: natural deaths and quick deaths were both preferable ways to die. And then there was the slow, painful one. This was the sound, not only of a human's sudden fear of the painful one. It was a human, who was, in this moment, threatened by something that might make her _want _to die, something that would make her prefer even the worst torture in the world. This was the worst thing that a woman could possibly endure.

Jane followed the sound of the scream, which had now been muffled by something. She reached the entrance to a dark alley, in which she heard some struggle. A man stood with his back towards Jane. He wore a dirty shirt and pants, and his jacket lay ruffled on the street a few feet behind him. He was covered by the darkness of the alley, but Jane could see that he was pressing a woman against the firm stone wall. She was screaming soundlessly into one of the man's hands, his other hand struggling to open her dress without the help of the other one, which was hard in his drunken state.

Should she help? Jane actually just wanted to return to her relaxed state, but she didn't think she could. The man was tall and strong, and Jane found herself calculating how much blood his body held. Oh, why not? She thought, and walked into the alley with long steps.

"Hello?" she called out, not trying in the least to imitate being afraid.

The man stopped in his tracks, and then slowly turned his head to look at the intruder. This gave Jane a chance to look at the woman behind him. Red hair had escaped a knot, and locks fell down around her somehow inharmonic face. She wasn't pretty, not for renaissance standards at least, but to a drunk, horny man in the middle of the night, apparently, she could do.

"Ah…" said the man, "have you come to join the party?"

"You could say that," Jane smiled, showing off two teeth that were slowly becoming longer, until her wicked smile showed fangs instead of teeth.

The man, who had moved towards her, now stumbled backwards, mumbling, "Wh-what are you?"

"And who said that violence isn't power?" she asked the air around her, then lounged herself at him, dissappeared for a moment as she moved too fast for the human eye to follow, and reappeared right in front of the man, teeth well planted into the flesh of his neck.

And then everything inside of her calmed.  
Jane held onto the man, and everything she heard, everything she felt, was the pulse of her victim, the flush of his blood through his veins. The warm, salty flood, that she was rewarded with when she sucked on the deep wound on his neck. She didn't hear his screams, didn't feel his arms slamming desperately at her and everything around them, she didn't feel his equally warm and salty tears, when they ran down his cheeks to the wound on his neck and mixed with his blood. She didn't hear his sobbing, when he became too weak to scream. She didn't notice when they fell to their knees. Nor did she notice the crying girl, who had curled up in a corner, trying not to watch and trying not to feel happy for the man's fate.

Jane suckled on the man's neck until the very last drop of blood. Eventually he was drained, and Jane leaned back from him. Her thirst had surprised her, and she hadn't spilled a single drop of blood. Then she heard sobbing from behind her. She turned to look at the young woman.

"You're still here?" Jane would have expected her to have run away in fear of being next.

"Thank you. _Thank you_." She hesitated, looking at the pale girl. "You are very good of you. You are a good person, and I am sure you shall rest in Heaven one day," she said as she rose from the ground.

Jane looked away, as if she had been slapped. "I am not so sure," she whispered.

"What is that?" the woman said, with a soft, low voice. "Of course you are, it was a beautiful thing to do, one that I am not certain I would have had the strength to do."

"I am not a good person, and if I ever rest in Heaven, it will be a part of the Devil's plan to ruin it."

"I can only judge you from what I have seen, and that is this: you saved me from death, or even worse, living as an unclean woman. You saved me from Hell's flames, not that I wouldn't endure them, had it only been God's will. If you have as many sins as I believe you imply that you have, I am sure still God will look at this moment on the day of judgments – I will pray every night that he does."

Then she walked away, and Jane never saw her again. But still, Jane was certain that she had spoken the truth. The woman with the red hair had been a good woman, Jane believed, and judging from her way of speaking, she was both honorable and kind. She would be married, be happy, and every night she would pray for a Jane's salvation.

_August 12__th__ 1492_

It had been 17 long days, days spent with nothing but worries of the outcome of the election. Even though the conclave itself had been incredibly short, the days of mourning that preceded it, were many. The tension had been everywhere in the Papal city. The moment that Jane heard the outcome of the election – that Cardinal Borgia had been elected Pope – she hadn't believed her luck.

The day after the conclave had finished, she found herself walking with light steps towards the St. Peter's. Jane found herself smiling at the commoners that she met on her way, and that her smile was a real one, making this a truly memorable day.

The magnificent church still overwhelmed Jane, but today she certainly did not have time to look at a _building_, she was her to meet the newly elected _Pope of Rome_. Even though Jane didn't have the cultural knowledge to know exactly how much that title meant, she thought she was starting to understand.

She sat down on one of the front benches. The church wasn't that full at all, but a gracious silence covered it, and for a moment, Jane closed her eyes, seeing the light of sun from the inside of her eyelids. It had been so long since she had done that last…

"Milady Volturi?"

Jane opened her eyes and looked into a brown pair of eyes. She recognized Cesare Borgia.

"Would you please follow me, I will take you to the Pope," he said politely.

"Thank you," she said and rose from her seat, following the son of the Pope. He held a door open for her, and she entered a long hallway. The walls and floor and ceiling were beautifully and richly decorated with carvings of holy figures, mostly angels. That was when she realized that she was moving into the holiest place on Earth. Actually, that wasn't what fascinated her; it was that she was moving into the most _secret_ place on Earth. The world's most well-kept secret opened itself in front of her. And, even though she didn't have the slightest idea of it yet, she was about to become a part of a history, that would not only be remembered, but would leave its imprints all over the world. Mafia families would be inspired by this family, but only be the shadow of it. The Borgia family was one of the most murderous families in history, but they would also achieve great things.

Jane was thinking of the great things she could achieve in cooperation with this family, when Cesare held open another door. He had led her through so many hallways and rooms that she couldn't count them all, but now they seemed to have reached their destination.

The room, of course, was beautifully decorated. It was a little darker than the rest of the rooms, built in dark grey stone and with Papal red hanging on the walls. The ceiling wasn't as high as in the other rooms, either, nor was the windows as large, but the room was lit up by chandeliers.

"Giovanna Volturi," a familiar voice said. The newly elected Pope sat on a throne made in a nice sort of tree, painted with gold on selected areas, "you look even fairer outside the confessional – and that is actually quite rare."

Jane smiled at the humorous compliment. Rodrigo had a masculine, but gentle, a slight bit hoarse voice, which was probably erotic to most women, and was brilliant for speeches. It made him sound somewhat kinder. "Thank you, Holy Father," she said, addressing him properly; she had spent most of the days during the conclave researching the Italian traditions and courtesies.

Rodrigo smiled a little smile, one that made him seem so compassionate that Jane was almost tricked for a moment. Then he turned his attention to his son. "Cardinal, this is a private meeting. Would you leave us?" The slight bit of authority hidden underneath oceans of courtesy. Brilliant, Jane thought. This Pope really knew how to gain respect.

When Cesare had left the room, Jane said, "Congratulations on your victory."

"Thank you," he said, "It was quite expensive, though."

Jane hadn't expected that. "You didn't strike me as that devious," she said. Not that she minded, really. On the contrary, this was a part of him that she thought she would like.

"Well, the others started to bribe, then I had to follow with them," he argued, but there was something in his voice that caught Jane's attention.

"So you just followed the fashion. You didn't strike me as that simple-minded, either."

The Pope's facial expression changed a slight bit. "I must admit that I am impressed. You really see people."

Jane let out a rhetorical laugh. "I see their actions."

"Clever. Well, no, I did not follow fashion, I created it. But I hadn't expected the others to follow, so I had to continue to bribe. It was more expensive than I thought."

"I suspect this will interfere with my fee, if you have plans of hiring me, that is."

Rodrigo let out a small laugh. "As the Pope of Rome, I have my ways of gaining the money I need."

"Well, you can't use the money of the Papacy, surely. The cardinals would detect that, would they not?"

"You are right. But the Pope of Rome has other ways of financing himself than the Papacy's money, believe me."

"It is incredible how much you know about being a Pope already," Jane said, raising an eyebrow.

"It is just like being a Cardinal, I suppose. Only, you have more power."

Jane snickered, and then stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

"Volturi… are you by any chance from Volterra?"

Jane thought about it. The Volturis were from Volterra. She wondered why that was the city that they had chosen. Maybe it was the birth city of one of the leaders. Maybe they had chosen that place because it wasn't. "Yes," she said, after a pause that was longer than she would have preferred, "my family originates from Volterra, but I have been travelling for so long, I do not think of it as my home anymore. Not that much, at least."

"I know that feeling," the Pope said, and for a moment he seemed to disappear into his own thoughts. He became Rodrigo Borgia rather than the Pope, Alexander Sixtus. "I am Spanish, you know. But…" he paused again, and he didn't continue.

Then, abruptly, he breathed in and said: "Of course, I will hire you. I need you to keep an eye on my enemies among the cardinals. They might be plotting against me, and I wish to survive, at least for a little longer. It doesn't look good to be murdered so soon. Can you leave your current address with Cesare, so I will know how to contact you? I might be able to find an apartment for you inside the Vatican before long. Since my enemies are so close to me, I will need my allies just as close."

"Isn't there a saying that goes: 'keep your friends close, but your enemies closer'?" Jane asked.

Rodrigo smiled at her, and said: "Don't worry; I don't think I can keep my enemies that much closer."


	5. Chapter 4 Della Rovere

**Chapter 4: Della Rovere**

It had been two days or so after their last meeting, when Jane received a message from the Pope, asking to see her the night to the 16th. So, late in the evening of the 15th, Jane started dressing for the meeting. She had found that Italians put more into their clothing than she had thought, and therefore she had spent the day finding a suitable dress. She had settled on a green dress, to symbol hope and something new.

When Jane entered the Vatican (through an entrance that Cesare had showed her after her last meeting, which led directly to the Papal apartment) it had been dark for a long time already. She was welcomed by a man covered in a dark cloak. He had the hood drawn over his head.

"This way, m'lady," he said in a whisper. His voice was the kind of hoarse voice that a drunk criminal would have. But this man seemed anything but drunk. He made Jane tense and nervous, a thing that very few people did. The man had something about him, which made you fear him, despise him even. But Jane followed.

He led her through the hallway, until leading her into a room. The room was only lit by a few lamps, but they were enough to reveal an enormous amount of books stapled in book cases that reached the ceiling high above them.

Around the table sat three figures, of whom she recognized two; the Pope, in the middle, wearing much more humble clothes than usual, and to his right, Cesare.

"Giovanna Volturi," welcomed Rodrigo, the Pope, lifting both his hands in a welcoming manner.

"Holy Father," she answered his greeting, nodding at him and then at Cesare. "Cesare."

The last man around shared some resemblance to Cesare, apart from him having cobber hair, while Cesare had brown, and his exultant attitude. She guessed that they were brothers – and was right.

"My lady Giovanna, I do not believe I have had the pleasure of meeting you before. My name is Juan Borgia, legitimate son of the Pope and brother of Cesare," the man smirked, rising from his chair and giving her a slight bow.

"Well, it is certainly a pleasure to meet you, Juan," she said, turning her attention to the men around the table.

"Please, take a seat," Rodrigo said and gestured to the chair in front of him, "and Cesare, please ask your servant to take the hood of. He is among friends."

Cesare looked at the man, who had placed himself in front of the door, and said: "Micheletto."

With that inclination, the man took of his hood and revealed a hairy head with red hair and beard. His eyes were dark, with no spark but the reflection of the flames of the lamps. They seemed dead.

"Well, now that we have all settled, let us start this meeting," said the Pope matter-of-factly.

"My father has asked you to come here to… fill out your part of the agreement," Juan said. His voice was annoying, it almost sounded like when you spoke while closing you nostrils.

"We suspect that one of the Cardinals, Della Rovere, is plotting against us."

_Us_, not the Pope, _us_. This family worked so close together, they almost functioned as one. "Della Rovere…" Jane said, memorizing his name.

"Girolamo Basso della Rovere," the Pope said.

"And you… want me to keep an eye on him?" Jane asked. When the Pope nodded, she continued: "what should I look for?"

"Della Rovere has invited our Father to a dinner in three days time to congratulate him with his election. We suspect that he might have other plans," Cesare said.

"Do you suspect that he wish to see you dead?" Jane asked the Pope.

"Yes, and he probably isn't the only one who has this wish," the Pope answered darkly, "many cardinals hoped that they would be taking over the Papal tiara, but I suspect that della Rovere is the one willing to go furthest."

"Della Rovere would kill for gaining the power that my father holds, and he will undoubtedly try and fail and try again," Cesare said, "until he succeeds."

"Or dies," the Pope said flatly.

"Yes."

Jane mulled this over for a while. She suspected that this conflict between the two men was deeper than 'just' the desire for power, but when the Pope did nothing to elaborate she simply said: "If that is all, it think I shall leave you."

"Good idea. You will need some rest," the Pope said.

"Micheletto, would you please escort Giovanna home? You can go home after that," Cesare said. Somehow Jane sensed a bond between those two that wasn't normal for employer and employee.

Micheletto opened the door for her, and Jane left. It was kind of Cesare to offer her protection, but honestly, she thought that she'd be safer on her own than with this man.

"Did you know that green is the symbol of spring and the birth of something new?" Micheletto asked after they had exited the Vatican in silence.

"Oh… yes, yes I did," Jane answered, taken aback by his sudden speech.

"Maybe that is why you wore it?" he asked. Suddenly, his Italian accent was evident.

Jane looked at him, smiled and nodded. This man would be full of surprises, she thought. Again, they walked in silence for a while.

"What is your relationship with Cesare?" she asked.

"Oh, it is… nothing. We're just old friends," he answered.

"_Just_ old friends? What more could you possibly be?"

He looked at her. "Nothing," he said, "nothing at all."

* * *

Jane said goodnight to Micheletto, and went upstairs to her room. She found her key and unlocked the door. To her surprise, Julio stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. He turned around quickly when he heard her.

"Jane," he said, "I am so sorry for going in here… without permission. I just… I had to…"

Jane smiled and said: "Don't worry, I accept your apology."

Julio nodded, but he still looked shaken. "I swear, I just went in here to see if you were home, I was on my way out."

"Julio, it is okay. I promise."

Julio just nodded again, his head bouncing up and down a couple of times. Then he stopped, deep in thought. When he returned to reality, he asked: "I heard that Borgia won. How did the meeting with him go?"

Jane's mouth opened in a wide smile, when she said: "He decided to hire me!"

"Dear God, congratulations!" Julio's grin seemed even more real than Jane's own.

"I actually just returned from another meeting with him. He had suspicions towards one of the cardinals, Della Rovere."

"And…?" Julio implied.

"Well, I am to keep an eye on Rovere, obviously."

"And how will you do that?"

Jane opened her mouth, and then closed it again. It felt as if a stone was falling down the inside her of her stomach. How would she do it? She had no idea. Of course, she would figure it out. But surely, she couldn't keep an eye on this Rovere all the time – and what if something crucial would slip past her?

Serena backed away from Julio and sat on her bed. The only sound in that room in that moment was the sound of the old bed creaking.

"I don't know."

A moment's silence. Then, in a few steps, Julio had made his way over the floor to kneel in front of Jane. Jane shivered for a moment, and for a few seconds, he just sat there, looking at her. Then he breathed in and spoke: "You are troubled," he said, with a small, amused smile, "that is an emotion I thought you did not have," he continued.

Suddenly, everything in the room changed, somehow. Jane leaned forward, and then froze, realizing that she had made this movement to get a look into his eyes. They were deep, so deep and adoring. She laughed a small, sad laugh, like a little girl who had been told a joke while crying.

"I thought it was gone, too. But then again, I have been away from humans for so long. I think I forgot that emotions actually existed; pain, despair, suffering – and even happiness."

"I am sure that you will think of a way to spy della Rovere," Julio said, smiling reassuringly.

Jane nodded and drew in a sharp breath and leaned backward again. Julio shifted a little before speaking again. "Jane, do you remember when you showed me your talent?"

Jane looked to the side. "Yes."

"The feeling you brought to me; like the change from human into vampire," he said. "It is not the feeling of death, you see. I realized that while riding away from you. I do not believe that that is how death feels like. I think death is a relief compared to that feeling. But your pain was still different from the pain that I felt when I was changed, though. It was a burning, inside my head," his eyebrows drew together, "and... emptiness, sort of-"

"Julio," Jane said, stopping his speech, "it is nothing special. It is just a gift, like yours. My gift is just to bring pain, that it is all. I just brought you pain. Aro once told me that I brought the victim a pain equivalent to the most painful experience I have ever gone through, so that is why it feels like the change."

Julio reached out his right hand, slowly touching her temple with his fingers. He closed his eyes, and Jane followed his example. It didn't even take Julio a second to draw back with a hiss, as if he had burned his fingers. When Jane opened her eyes, Julio was standing some feet away, his face shocked.

Jane rose. "What is the matter?"

"Did you send me pain? Did you use your talent?" Julio asked, his words flowing out of his mouth with incredible speed. He sure was Italian.

"No, no I did nothing," Jane's words flew out, trying to reassure him.

Needless to say, Julio left quickly after she had read and replied her brother's letter that night.

* * *

_August 18th 1492_

The sun was setting behind the Vatican's palaces when Jane walked into a small alley close to one of the entrances to the Vatican. This part of the city was a slum, and no one would have expected the dirty door, on which rude lines had been painted by passing drunks, to be the first of a few secret doors into the Vatican.

That night, the door opened, and out came a guard, whose red clothes gave away that he was a guard working for the Papacy. But right now, he was wearing a moth-eaten, old cloak to cover his identity.

He entered the alley.

"You were right, ma'am. Orsini and Rovere are planning to poison the Pope. I heard'em whisperin', plannin'. 'M sorry, but it's tonight." The man had a very rough accent and voice, clearly infuriated by these men.

"Thank you," Jane said, and ran off without bothering to say more.

* * *

The sound of Jane's steps down the hall of her hotel was clear. Her steps were fast and unfaltering. She had almost no time, probably no time at all. And time was passing so, so fast.

She turned around the corner and into her room, hurried to her makeshift desk. She scribbled down the most important words as quickly as possible, trying to dip the pen in the bottle of ink quickly without spilling it. When she was done, she rolled together the parchment inaccurately but quickly, spilling wax all over the window sill as she tried to seal the letter quickly. She dipped a thread into the still more or less liquid wax, and attached the letter to a dove – it was a Papal pigeon, and Cesare was waiting for her message in its home.

Jane stroked its feathers lightly, praying it would be quick, and then threw it out of the window. She turned around and ran.

* * *

Cesare paced back and forth, waiting for the message. What is taking her so long? he thought, worries for his father filling his mind. Then the dove landed, right there on the stray, as if it meant nothing more than the other doves. Cesare kneeled down and quickly detached the message. He stood up while opening the letter and read it quickly.

He gasped, and then exited the pigeonholes. Micheletto, waiting right outside, followed Cesare's fast pace down the hall.

"What is it, master?" he said, without slowing his steps.

"Rovere, that blaspheme, and his bastard friend, Orsini," Cesare spitted, launching himself at a door and pushed it open. They stood in a small courtyard, from which you could exit the Vatican.

"We need horses. NOW!" Cesare shouted at the stable boy, who quickly ran off to get the horses. They had been prepared in advance, thank the Lord.

Cesare jumped into the saddle and got the horse into gallop with a few forceful kick at its sides. At least Rovere's house wasn't too far away.

It only took a couple of minutes to ride from the Vatican to Rovere's private estate. Quickly, but quietly, Cesare made it through the back door. The stood in a stairway, with a long stair leading downwards to what smelled like a kitchen and a few steps leading up to what sounded like the dining room.

Cesare could hear Della Rovere welcoming his guests, leading them to their respectable seats.

"You stand here. If anyone tries to bring in food or drink, stop them, but for God's sake be quiet!" Cesare whispered.

"You forget that that is my specialty," Micheletto answered. Once again, Cesare was relieved that he had someone as reliable as Micheletto on his side.

Cesare sneaked down the stairs. In the kitchen there was a lot of hustle and bustle, but nothing looked suspicious. No one saw a man who crept his way through the shadows. He found an open door to his right, and entered, finding himself in the wine cellar.

Slowly, he made his way around a row of stapled bottles, being careful not to make a sound.

He stopped dead.

He had just made his way around a corner, when he saw a low figure wearing a long, black cloak. Underneath it, he saw the pale face of Giovanna.

"Cesare," she said, surprised, "I thought you would not make it in time, so I took care of it for you. He is dead," she said, before Cesare had the chance to answer. The hired assassin lay behind her, dead, but no blood surrounding him.

"Good," was all he said before he turned around to leave.

"Cesare," she said, before he could vanish, "I saved your father's life today. Don't let him forget."

"All is not safe yet; della Rovere is still alive."

Cesare's answer had been short and thankless, but of course, just as anything else around the Pope, this event would not be forgotten. The next day, Cardinal Della Rovere had been excommunicated and banished from Rome with accusations of fraud and attempted murder on the Pope of Rome.


	6. Chapter 5 Behind Every Great Man

**Chapter 5: Behind every great man…**

_August 21st 1492_

This time, when Jane was asked to visit the Pope, she wasn't just fetched; no, this time, she received a letter, delivered by a man dressed in the Papal red colors, with an invitation to have dinner with the Pope and his family, and that she would be sent an _escort_. And this time it wouldn't be Micheletto, she thought with a smile.

She had decided to wear a pale blue gown, as it was a warm and sunny day, and she suspected that it would be a light and warm evening, too. She had had the gown made by her favorite designer, a young girl, not very rich or highly acclaimed, but she knew how to make dresses. The dress didn't show off Jane's waist, but was tight just underneath her chest. Beautiful moss-colored embroideries decorated the dress, and some of the white undergarment showed between the long sleeves. She braided forelocks back into a clip, so that her long, blonde hair could trail down her back. Her pale skin and blonde hair was the picture of prefecture in the renaissance society – if only she'd had blue eyes and a more fragile and elegant figure, she would have held the essence of beauty in this society.

After drinking a few drops of her brother's mixture, she put some extra drops in a small bottle that she pushed into a secret pocket in her corset between her breasts. _Caius should see me now,_ she thought with a smile, _going to meet the most powerful man in all of Europe – and he always thinks that he is so much better than me, so much more charming than me_. Jane shook her head. _He would not survive a single moment here. Figuratively speaking, of course he would _survive_, but the Pope would hate him, no, he wouldn't even hate him, he would just be bored by him. Oh, and Marcus, just as arrogant as Caius, if not more. Him, the Pope would hate. _Jane nodded surely at her reflection in the mirror, but before she could continue her thoughts about the clan, she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Outside, an adolescent boy stood. "Giovanna Volturi Della Volterra?" he asked.

"Yes, that is me."

"Pablo Macari, at your service," he said enthusiastically, bowing for her, "the Pope asks if you have any personal belongings that you wish to take with you to your new residence?" he asked, in a quick Italian flow of words.

"To my new residence?" Jane asked, frowning in surprise.

"Yes. The Holy Father took it in his own hands to find a more – fitting – housing for you," the boy explained.

"Oh… well then, yes, I do, but only my dresses. You can find them in my closet," Jane said, still thinking this new information over. She was already excited about what kind of place the Pope would have found her. She had no doubts that it would be amazing, of course.

While Jane thought, Pablo gestured to a few other boys at his age, gesturing around the room, making it clear to them, which thing they had to get. "Signora Volturi, if you would follow me, please," he then said to Jane, who followed him without a word.

"Excuse me, Pablo is it? I have to take care of the bill," Jane said, stopping the young man.

"That is already taken care of, courtesy of the Papacy," Pablo said, "now, signora, please follow me."

"Oh, wait, I have to give a message – if my family sends me a letter, they'll have to know where to find me!"

Jane walked to the bar, already getting some money out of her wallet. "Excuse me," she said, getting the attention of the bartender, "Excuse me, if anyone come looking for me, can you tell them that he or she can find me…" she trailed off for a moment, but then continued: "that I have been removed from this place by the Pope of Rome, and that he can ask for me at the church, thank you very much," and handed the man a full seven florins, a charming smile on her face. She had to stop herself from laughing when she saw how he almost drooled over the golden coins.

"_Signora!"_ Pablo called.

* * *

Jane was led to the Pope's private estates, into a room that seemed small compared to the rest of the rooms. It was a nice dining room with wooden panels, decorated with paintings that were probably painted by some of the best painters in Italy, and a long dining table with room for eight people, and the most beautiful wooden floor. A couch had been placed against the wall, which was to Jane's right as she entered; the opposite wall was the first thing, though, that caught Jane's attention, probably because it wasn't really a wall. Instead, it was a row of white pillars, on the other side of which there was a balcony, overlooking a small, green garden.

"Giovanna," said a delighted, familiar voice. She saw the Pope approaching, and when he was close enough, she greeted him by saying 'Holy Father' and bowing her head to kiss his ring. But the Pope just waved his hand out of her reach. "We are all family tonight, Giovanna. There is no need for such courtesy," he said, a smile in his voice.

Jane smiled at him, unsure of what to do next. Luckily, Rodrigo quickly started talking again.

"Let me present to you, my beautiful daughter, Lucrezia Borgia," Rodrigo said, holding his hand out to a beautiful, young woman. Just as Jane, she had long, blonde hair and flawless, pale skin; but she also had the most beautiful blue eyes, a thin body and harmonic face. Her movements were graceful, just as if she was flying – she was truly, just as rumors said, the fairest woman of all Italy, if not Europe. She bowed her head gracefully. Jane returned her gesture. Lucrezia stepped backwards, giving space for another woman; she was beautiful, too, though not with the same classic features as Lucrezia; she had long, cobber hair, which had – like both Jane's and Lucrezia's – been pulled away from her face. Her body was even thinner than Lucrezia's, and her collarbone stood out dramatically from the rest of her neck. Her face was very harmonic and almost perfectly proportioned, with large, black eyes and a small nose. Her skin was dark and looked more like an Italian's skin. "This is my – good friend – Giulia Farnese," Rodrigo said, a dark gleam in his eyes, "or Giulia la Bella, if we are to believe the commoners," he added, wiggling an eyebrow at Giulia, which she responded with a seductive smile.

"And my sons, you have already met," Rodrigo continued, gesturing at the two men standing behind him, "Juan Borgia, the Captain General of the Church, and Cesare, newly appointed Cardinal, and Bishop of Pamplona."

Jane saw that, even though Rodrigo named two of Cesare's titles and only one of Juan's, there was more eagerness in his voice when he spoke about Juan.

When Jane had greeted all the guests properly, Rodrigo announced that the food would be served soon, and was then pulled aside by Jane.

"You sent someone to get my things," she said to him, "why was that?"

"I was told that you lived in a public house, and I thought that I would find you something better," Rodrigo answered her, calm as always, "and besides, you have proved to be a rather good person to have close."

"I would have preferred to know that before a man knocked on my door and asked me which of my things I wanted to take with me. Not that I am not grateful, of course," she added quickly, "but when it comes to this sort of things…"

"I am sorry," he interrupted, "but as it is your job to be my eyes and ears inside the Vatican, I thought that having you closer to me would be… smart."

_You haven't bought me,_ she thought, but she just smiled at him. "Yes, of course. In the future, though, I would like to be informed about such things," she said, and then, when Rodrigo didn't speak, added in a more playful tone: "You said that it would be better than my previous housing, which isn't much of a challenge, I have to admit, but just out of curiosity, where exactly am I to live?"

"I was thinking that, if you get along with Lucrezia and Giulia, you could live with them in the new palazzo I have built just outside the Vatican." Rodrigo leaned in closer, as if to tell her a great secret, "there is even a secret passage that leads in here." He stood up straight again and wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Jane raised a questioning eyebrow. "A secret passageway – how exciting."

Just then a few waiters entered and started to set the table. Giulia walked over to the Pope and took his hand, leading him across the room to the table, starting a conversation with him as she did so.

"She is so very beautiful. Just like a statue, perfect." Jane turned her head to the right. Lucrezia was leaning over to talk into her ear. "She has such a stoic elegance."

Jane nodded. "She is very beautiful. The Pope is a lucky man."

"She is lucky, too. To think of her life before, it must have been so boring. Her husband is quite the dullest man I have ever met, though I do feel bad for him."

"In what way?"

"It is well known that he has little self-confidence, and then to have ripped away such a jewel as his wife. It must have been terrible," Lucrezia said, then, moving away from Jane, she asked: "would you care to sit beside me at dinner?" Jane smiled as answer and sat down on the chair beside Lucrezia, who was sitting at the left hand of the Pope – who was of course sitting at the head of the table, with Giulia sitting at his right hand. Cesare sat at the other end, and Juan sat facing Jane.

Giulia suddenly looked at Jane and said: "Giovanna, Rodrigo and I just discussed the importance of art, and I was wondering if you have any interest in it?"

"I am sad to say, I do not. But my brother is very artistic, so I know a little about it."

"We were discussing who were to paint my portrait, you see, and we did not agree," she said, trying to start a conversation, "I, myself, am very fascinated by a young artist, who is known as Raphael. Do you know him?" Jane shook her head as answer, and Giulia continued: "Well, he is very talented…"

Rodrigo cut her off: "Talented, yes, but I can afford another one if you want – I have suggested Michelangelo, but she will not listen," he said to the rest of the table. Juan smiled into his hand, while Cesare said: "Well, sometimes we must try something new, father. Michelangelo cannot live forever, can he?" Jane actually had to stop herself from laughing at that part.

"Well, we might as well enjoy that he is alive then," Rodrigo said, as a servant put some meat on his plate.

"What about you two," Jane said, looking at the brothers, one wearing a nobleman's clothes, the other wearing the Cardinal's red, "do you enjoy art?"

Juan was the first to answer: "Do you think of warfare as a form of art?"

"Everything could be that; it depends on how well you do it."

"Then you could call me an artist," he smirked.

"I would have to see your work first."

The Lucrezia burst out in laughter. "Oh, brother, finally a woman who does not fall for your armor," she said in between laughs. At that, the entire table – except Juan – laughed.

He leaned forward, looked her into the eyes, and said: "Sister, they do not fall for my armor, but for what lies behind it."

"Then they must be very modest, brother," Cesare teased.

"Cesare, Juan, we do not speak like this around guests," Rodrigo said, though his voice was full of amusement.

* * *

After the dinner, Juan had had some pressing matters to take care of, and after he had left, the rest of the Pope's guest went downstairs and into the garden. It wasn't very large, but large enough to have a few trees, a bench and a birdbath. Lucrezia and Cesare were sitting on the bench, apparently discussing the flowers, as Jane, Rodrigo and Giulia stood at the other side of the bird bath.

"I admire the Vatican's gardens, don't you?" Giulia asked Jane.

"I do. They are very beautiful," Jane said, looking around her.

"Giulia, come here!" Lucrezia called from where she sat with Cesare, "you must see this!"

"Excuse me," Giulia said with a smile, walking towards the barely adolescent girl. When she was out of hearing range, Jane said: "How old is she?"

"Giulia or Lucrezia?"

"Lucrezia," Jane said, looking at the girl in question.

"She is thirteen," he said. Jane looked at him, and saw how filled with love his eyes were when he looked at his daughter. "She is very beautiful," Jane said.

"She is the sun to me," he said, "she lights up this place when it gets dark. Sometimes, I think that she is an angel, sent from God to keep me sane."

Jane smiled. "It is not hard to imagine, her being an angel."

Then the two women and Cesare approached them. "I thought it would be time for me to go to bed now, Holy Father," Lucrezia said.

"It is getting late. Could you take Giovanna with you, show her her new residence?" Rodrigo asked.

Lucrezia smiled and said: "Of course, come with me," she said with a smile.

"Meanwhile, we could discuss that portrait of yours – privately," Rodrigo said to Giulia in a somehow husky voice. And did Giulia just shiver in respond? Jane had been changed before she could experience the kind of feelings that the two were having now and therefore she didn't quite understand it. Also, the age difference between the two added to Jane's confusion; Rodrigo was, apparently, 61 years old, whereas Giulia was only 18 years old.

"…we all have rooms overlooking the garden – the palace is built around the most beautiful garden – and you will have a few extra rooms, I think it's a sitting room and a small dining room, like the one we dined in tonight. It is terribly big, and it was very expensive, especially when we spent most of our time in the Vatican…" Lucrezia was talking all the way to the house – they didn't go through the secret tunnel – but in a charming way. Jane didn't really listen, she was deep in thought. She had accomplished something great tonight. She was under the skin of the Pope of Rome – she was living in the same house as his daughter and lover! He trusted her. And when you had the trust of the Pope, you might just be one of the most significant people in Europe.


	7. Chapter 6 A Portrait and an Advice

**Very short A/N:** If any of you like my work, you can follow my original work here: www. wattpad .com - the name's "ChickNAlfredo" and the story I'm currently working is called "The Summer of '95". Don't worry, though, I'm still working on this!

* * *

**Chapter 6: A portrait and an advice**

_August 23rd 1492_

"Would you raise your chin a little? That's it! Perfect."

Jane sat on a chair in the small terrace, overlooking the garden. The mansion was built around a rectangular garden, which had beautiful trees and a small pond, in which golden fishes swam. It was built in two stories. You entered through a large set of doors that led to a middle-sized hall with stairs leading to the upper floor, and there was door at the opposite wall, which led to a hallway. If you went through the door and to the right, the hallway would lead you to the library on your left hand and two smaller rooms, often used for servants, on your right. If you went to the left, you would find another servant's room on your left and to the right, you'd find the door to the nicely decorated dining room. Inside the dining room, on the opposite wall to the door, was another door, which led to the kitchen area and some of the kitchen girls' rooms.

The terrace, on which Jane was sitting, was in the corner between the outer walls of the dining room, the hallway and the library, and was overlooking the garden through a row of pillars, that curved towards each other and formed arcs, on which vines grew. The upper floor of the palazzo worked as roof for the terrace, so that you could sit sheltered from a too hot sun or from rain. It was a lovely day with a blue sky and the perfect temperature, so Lucrezia had decided that she wanted to sit outside – and soon she had found her easel and asked Jane to model for her as she painted.

"I am not a very good painter, I'm afraid," she said, as she dipped her brush in the paint, tilting her head a little, comparing her work with the real thing.

"It is a difficult art to master," Jane answered, her thoughts somehow absent. It was a strange feeling, not thinking, just observing. Once in a while, a pigeon would land on the rooftop or in the garden, or you would suddenly hear a distant shout from the outside world, but otherwise the garden was perfectly quiet. It was almost like a world of its own.

A servant suddenly appeared in the kitchen door: "There is a guest for signorina Giovanna," he called.

"Excuse me," Jane said to Lucrezia as she rose from her chair. Lucrezia just nodded and continued to paint, her eyebrows drawing together as she drew another line.

Jane made her way through the garden and entered the kitchen. It smelled of smoke and meat, and it was terribly warm, even though there was a chimney and several open windows. There were tables everywhere, and the room was filled with the sound of knife against board. Meat and vegetables hung from the ceiling together with various instruments. To Jane it seemed that there was no order, but the workers moved around swiftly, knowing exactly where to find what.

"This way, signorina," the man said, leading her to a door. It led to a room with a long, wooden table and several chairs. She guessed that it was the servants' dining room. Then she saw Julio, sitting on one of the chairs, smiling like the sun.

"Julio," she said when the servant had left the room, "how did you find me?"

"It was not really that hard. When some unknown woman moves in with the Pope's daughter and his lover in a new, magnificent palazzo in the middle of the city, there will be rumors."

"Of course," Jane said and sat down. "So, do you have a letter for me?"

"Yes, but first you have to tell me how you did this. I mean, last time I saw you, you were worried to death about your first job for the Pope, and now you are living in the same house as the two most important women in his life – how is that possible?"

"Well, to start from the beginning, I found a way to keep an eye on Rovere…" Jane started, and then told Julio the entire story, and he would throughout her entire narration look at her with amazed eyes.

"You are truly amazing," Julio said, then seemed to realize what he had just said, and looked away from her. Awkwardly, he said: "Would you like to read your brother's letter?"

"Thank you," she said, as he handed out the letter. As she reached for the letter, their fingertips brushed against each other, and Jane was suddenly very aware of herself, and especially those fingertips. She wondered if she, had she been a human, would have blushed – or shivered, like Giulia had done?

But just a second later the moment was over. Jane opened the letter and started reading.

_My dear sister,  
I am glad to hear that you and the Pope seem to get along, and I am sure that you will find a way to complete this task. I wish that I could be there to help you, even though I am sure that you are in no need of it.  
My business here in Florence flourishes. I seem to have established myself very well, and I am now able to send about 80 florins to Volterra every month. Be sure to come and visit me soon, I am beginning to miss you very much.  
With love,  
Alec._

Jane looked up. "He asks me to come and visit him," she said. It wasn't because she didn't want to visit him, but she was reluctant to leave Rome now that everything was going so well.

"Do you not want to visit him?" Julio asked.

"Yes, I do, but I could not leave the Pope now, could I?"

"No. But he does miss you terribly, that is what he always says when he speaks of you," Julio said. It was somehow strange to Jane, to think that, when Julio left her, he went to Alec. It seemed to her that Alec was so far away, but when she thought about it, Florence wasn't really that far from Rome. Not to a vampire, at least.

"I miss him too, of course, but I will have to wait to travel until my status in Rome is more secure," she said. She then rose from her chair and went to one of the tables, that stood against the wall, and retrieved some paper. She wrote down a few lines, answering Alec's letter. "Please send him my best wishes," she said to Julio when she gave him the scroll, and then went to the door.

Jane walked through the garden to find Lucrezia still sitting in her chair, finishing off her painting.

"Giovanna!" she called, in her usual over-dramatized voice, "see, I have finished your painting!"

Jane went to stand beside Lucrezia, looking at the painting over her shoulder. Lucrezia wasn't a talented painter, and she hadn't been practicing her painting, but it wasn't that bad. Jane noticed that she was skilled at adding shadows, but she seemed to have difficulties in sketching; some of the things on the painting seemed disproportionate.

Just then, the door to the library opened, and Giulia entered the terrace area. She seemed happy, but then again, she hadn't been sleeping at home that night, and with that in mind, Jane could think of a few reasons why she should be in a good mood.

"Good day, Giovanna, Lucrezia," she said.

Lucrezia ignored the formal greetings and said: "All that talk of paintings the other nights gave me such a desire to paint myself."

Giulia went around to the other side of Lucrezia to look at the painting. Lucrezia looked up at Giulia with admiring eyes and asked: "What do you think?"

"I think that I would have my portrait painted by you, had it not been for that your father already ordered Raphael to come," Giulia said.

"You made Papa order Raphael?" Lucrezia asked, but she didn't wait for an answer: "will you be holding an animal?"

Giulia laughed at the young girl's excitement. "Yes, I believe I will be holding a unicorn."

"A symbol of purity, that is very clever," Lucrezia commented, "if I was to have a portrait painted, I would have a seahorse," she then said.

"Does a seahorse symbolize anything?" Jane asked.

"Not that I know of," Giulia said, "what do you say, Lucrezia?"

Lucrezia frowned and thought hard. "To me, it is a symbol of adventure, and mystery," she said, "like the ocean itself."

"But why would you need a symbolic creature on your painting? You are the symbol of beauty yourself," Giulia concluded.

Lucrezia's face broke into a beautiful smile. She rose and said to the women around her: "I believe we all are. But you must excuse me, my brother asked to see me today." She then walked into the house and left Giulia and Jane on the terrace.

Giulia walked to the chair, on which Jane had sat earlier that day, and Jane sat on Lucrezia's chair.

"So, what have you spent your day with, other than being portrayed?" Giulia asked, as she fetched a waiter just by raising one of her hands. A moment later, a man stood by her side. "Would you move this painting to the library and bring us two glasses of wine?" He nodded and ran off.

Giulia focused on Jane again, and Jane spoke. "I received a letter from my brother in Florence."

"You have a brother?"

"Yes. We travelled together before I came here, but he chose to go to Florence instead, to work with medicine," Jane explained.

"What a strange, but fascinating, family you come from. You do not live like other noble families – you travel and work. Why is that?"

Jane shrugged. "Volterra is not a big city, so we need to work."

Giulia nodded. They sat in silence for a while. Jane had something that she very much needed to ask Giulia about, but she didn't know how.

"You and the Pope, you love each other?" she said, eventually.

Giulia smiled and nodded, looking down. "Yes," she said in whisper.

"But… how do you know if another person loves you?"

"You just… know," Giulia said. It didn't seem that it bothered her to speak about love.

"But, you see, I don't. I mean, I can tell that the Pope loves you" – Giulia flushed – "but I cannot see if a man thinks that I am beautiful."

"You should not worry about that – anyone in their right mind would see your beauty."

"But how do I tell if they _love_ me?"

"Oh," Giulia said, realizing now that Jane was serious, "if you suspect that a man loves you, you have to look for some of his signals," she started, then continued: "you must notice if he enjoys your company, if he smiles when you talk or laugh when you tell him something funny. If that is so, you can look for other signals; do his eyes tend to wander over your body as a token of lust? Does he often start conversations with you, when you are together, and does he speak of you with others when you are not?"

"Even if I can answer yes to all of those questions, surely there can be other reasons than love?"

"That kind of doubt is typical when you are in love. But usually there is no reason for this doubt but the fear of rejection." Jane nodded. "Is there anyone in particular that you are interested in?" Giulia asked.

"No, not really. But my father tells me that it is soon time for me to marry, so I wanted to have more knowledge about love."

Giulia smiled knowingly, not believing a word that Jane said. And perhaps she shouldn't.


	8. Chapter 7 Enemies of Rome

**Chapter 7: Enemies of Rome**

_September 15__th__ 1492_

Jane once again found herself in the presence of the Pope of Rome and his oldest son, Cesare. They were all sitting around a round table, letters scattered on the table before the two men. Jane had only just arrived and was surprised by the worried looks on the faces of the two.

"What is the matter?" she asked. Since she had walked into the room, the only thing they had said was 'please sit'. Now, Cesare finally looked up from the papers as the Pope rubbed his temples, not looking up.

"It seems that the Papacy has a new enemy in Florence," Cesare said darkly, "together with several other older ones."

"Who is it?"

Cesare laughed. "Where would you like me to start?" he asked, but Jane remained silent. After some silence Cesare continued: "Della Rovere you know. He has fled to the city of Ostia where he hides, but it is only a question of time before he jumps out and bites us once more." Cesare paused for a second: "then we have our newest enemy – he is not a significant one yet, but he might rise. His name is Savonarola and he is a friar located in Florence, but some have begun calling him a prophet. He preaches of 'the sword of the Lord over the Earth quickly and soon'," Cesare quoted.

"I do not see the reason for your fear? Does he preach of your father or the Vatican?"

"Not exactly, but he does incline that we are not pure in our faith. He wants the Church to go back to the medieval ideals where you frowned upon redundancy and vanity. It would be a shame to say that the Vatican is poor," Cesare answered.

"But you forget the most significant enemy!" the Pope suddenly said. This surprised both Cesare and Jane as he had seemed so lost in his own prophesies of the Vatican's doom that they didn't think he'd been listening. "The French king."

"Yes, the king," Cesare said and elaborated: "He has always had a wish to become the ruler of Naples, but now Ferdinand's son, Alfonso, is threatening his position. We expect the king will soon march to Naples to retake his throne. On his way he will have to march through the Papal States, and this will leave Rome very vulnerable to attacks."

"What will you do?" Jane asked.

"We must begin to plan already now, protect ourselves. Unfortunately, the fund of our Papacy are not enough to build up an army great enough to stand against the French," the Pope started. The French army was at that time the greatest and most feared army in Europe. "Which is why we must ally ourselves with a family of great military significance," he continued.

"Also, we must get della Rovere out of the way," Cesare said, "he is not stupid, and he will undoubtedly use this situation for his own best."

"He is still just as determined to take revenge?" Jane asked.

"Indeed, and he is not afraid of spilling a little blood to get his way," Cesare said.

"But we must prepare for the worst; if the French army should attack us," the Pope said, "we would need powerful alliances. This means that Lucrezia must marry."

Jane knew this was the way best way to secure the Papacy, but Cesare didn't seem to agree. "But father, she is just a child!"

"Not a child, Cesare, a young woman," the Pope said, "a woman in her best and most beautiful years. Most women marry at her age."

"Not Lucrezia."

"Why should she not? We will find her a suitable and rich husband who will be capable of giving her a high standard of living – what more could she possibly ask for?"

"Love," Cesare muttered.

"Love?" the Pope said.

"She deserves to be loved," Cesare concluded.

"She is loved, by me and you and by Vanozza," the Pope said, "and by the people."

"She deserves a husband who loves and cares for her," Cesare repeated.

"I will of course try to find a man who will treat her with respect and patience, but love is never guaranteed in a marriage."

Cesare remained silent, anger and contempt evident in his eyes. "Can you not see that I do this for us, for family?" the Pope asked, "to secure our position and Rome's position as well?"

"For _Rome,_" Cesare spitted.

"You know I want Rome to shine, just as it did underneath the Caesars," the Pope said, "but I cannot do it without your help, without Lucrezia's. You know how much I love her and how resistant I am myself of sending her away."

Cesare sighed, then finally seemed to calm. "Just… just let me be the one to tell her," he said.

Jane walked down one of the many halls of the Vatican on her way home. It was late in the afternoon and the city was slowly growing quiet. She reached the end of the hallway (where the entrance to the underground passageway was hidden) when she heard voices from a room to her left. She slowly walked to the door and silently opened it enough so that she could look in.

The room was small and without any furniture, but bathed in light from two large windows on the opposite wall. Lucrezia was sitting on a bench underneath one of these and Cesare stood in front of her.

"To whom did you say our Holy Father wished to marry me?" she asked in her usual light voice, but this day sadness soiled it.

"I do not know whom, but he will be a powerful man with a large army," Cesare said in a low voice, trying to reassure his sister.

"A warrior," she said, looking down.

"Does that displease you, sis?" he asked.

"A little," she answered sadly, but then rose from her seat and put a brave smile on her face and looked into her beloved brother's eyes, "After all, the only man I have ever loved, except for my father, that is, is a man of the cloth rather than armor," she said.

"If you are indicating that I am the only man you ever loved, then you should not worry about marrying a warrior – after all, I have always wished to…"

"To trade you cloth to armor, yes," she said with a smile. Cesare smiled back.

"Marry me, Cesare," she said.

"You know I cannot marry, least of all you," Cesare answered.

"If only you could. Then we would run away together, and our father would never be able to play with our lives again," Lucrezia said reminiscently. Cesare smiled and stroked her cheek with his hand. Lucrezia turned around and walked over to one of the windows to look out of it.

"Will my husband love me, Cesare?" she asked.

"I am afraid there is no guarantee for that," he said. Lucrezia turned her head around quickly to look at her brother, then turning her body as well as she spoke: "Love and marriage – are they incompatible, then?"

"No, but one does not imply the other," he answered.

Lucrezia looked down and took two steps towards Cesare, standing close to him. Then she looked upwards into her brother's eyes and hesitantly said: "And… and if my husband turns out to be ungallant?"

Jane could see the anger and hate in Cesare's eyes at the mere thought of it. "I would cut out his heart with a dinner knife and serve it for you."

_September 25th 1492_

"We need allies in Florence," the Pope said. Jane was once again in a meeting with the Pope and his oldest son.

"My brother lives in Florence," Jane said, "he is not high-born, nor does he have any significant position, but he has a secure position as a pharmacist and doctor. But I think he would be good at spying and perhaps, with some persuasion, as an assassin."

The Pope nodded. "If he is as good as you, then I have no doubts he will be more than useful."

"Last time I visited the Medici's, I met a man called Niccolò Machiavelli. He is a part of the borghesia, which means that he is well-educated and hard-working, perhaps you have heard of him?" Cesare asked.

"I think I have, in fact. Political philosopher and diplomat, am I right?" the Pope asked.

"Yes, indeed, and one of the best," Cesare said, "I found that he was an intelligent and very intriguing man."

"But he is a republican?"

"Yes, but he is not the ordinary republican, father. I got along with him quite well, and I think he might be willing to support you," Cesare said.

"I hear he has some unusual ideas on how to rule a country," the Pope continued.

"Some of them might scare even you," Cesare said.

"Then he can be nothing if not intriguing," Jane said, and Cesare laughed. The Pope looked at her, smiling and nodding. You could tell that the worry for his country was wearing him out; his gray hair was ruffled and he had dark circles under his eyes, just as his clothes were crumpled.

"I was wondering if you had found a suitable husband for my sister," Cesare said to his father. The last week and half, the Vatican had been full of suitors for the Pope's daughter. Most of them had been declined without hesitation, whilst some of them had impressed the Papal family enough to be considered further; most of them, though, seemed reluctant to support the Pope in case he would be attacked by the French.

"I spoke to Vice Chancellor Sforza last night," the Pope said, "As you probably well know, he has a cousin, Giovanni Sforza. He is in the line of Pesaro and Gradara, so he holds some power, and the family is known for being good _condottieros_."

"I do not believe I have ever met him before," Cesare mumbled.

"No, neither have I, but the Vice Chancellor is a trustworthy man, and if that runs in the blood, then I think that Giovanni would make a good spouse."

Cesare looked away, still finding the idea of marrying off Lucrezia appalling.

"Did you say that you had a brother in Florence?" the Pope asked Jane, turning his head away from Cesare.

"Yes, I did. Alec," she answered politely, glad to change the subject.

"Then you have probably heard of la rinascita italiana, the Italian rebirth?" he asked.

"I have, yes," she said, "in fact, that was the reason why my brother moved there; he has always been very cultural and not too conservative."

"Sounds much like you," the Pope said. Although Jane didn't agree, she didn't object, and the Pope continued: "the river of knowledge and creativity is about to flow through Rome as well, and as their regent I must of course follow the people's needs and desires."

"Of course."

"A Pope must always have two eyes: one to look to the past, and the other to look to the future; only then he can build the present," Rodrigo said. Jane was once again impressed by his metaphorical language and wondered if she prepared these kinds of sentences before he went to meeting. She shook her head inwardly before speaking again.

"How far back do you intend to look?" Jane asked.

"As far back as the people do, the Ancient Romans," he answered.

"The Italian culture was rich back then, and so is it today. Art, literature and knowledge are put in high regard, just as the population is growing richer every day. Also, a new social class is emerging, the borghesia, who are fond of intellect and are good businessmen. There are even rumors of those who wish to change Florence into a republic," Cesare elaborated, "all in all, Italy is evolving and the Vatican must follow to avoid becoming outdated."

"Exactly," the Pope said, "I am especially drawn towards patronizing the arts."

"Are you speaking of the rebirth again?" Giulia asked from the doorway. There was no saying how long she had been standing there, but the men didn't seem too annoyed. "I have often suggested to the Pope that we should host a masked ball for the upper classes. My general idea was that you should dress up as one of the ancient gods, as a symbol of the Vatican's acceptance of the humanist ideas."

"It is not a bad idea," Cesare mused, "in fact, since humanists are still Christians and not heathens, it might keep them in favor of the Holy Mother Church and less keen to seek new religions."

"It is indeed a good idea, and I shall propose it for the College of Cardinals soon."

"Until then, I think I have some _art_ I would like you to take a look at," Giulia smirked at Rodrigo, then turned around halfway. "Follow me," she said. Rodrigo shook his head at Cesare and Jane before standing up and followed his lover. Cesare snickered into his hand.

"He has no idea how much control that woman has over him," he said.

"I am sure she is happy to keep it that way," Jane answered.

"You are very clever, Giovanna," Cesare said, "Some might say too clever for your own safety."

Jane smiled. "Not too many, I hope."

Cesare hesitated before he spoke again: "What do you think of Lucrezia's wedding?" he asked.

"That depends on so much," she answered.

"Like the husband?"

"Like the husband."

"It will be a beautiful wedding, my father will make sure of that," Cesare said, "One like the one, Lucrezia has always dreamed of."

"And she will be the most beautiful bride in decades," Jane said.

"And yet, her wedding will be just like her funeral, except she will be able to smell her own flowers."

Jane smiled reassuringly. "She would love the intrigue."

Cesare let out a sniff that resembled to a sad laughter. "I'm sure she would."


	9. Chapter 8 Masks

**Chapter 8:**

Giulia Farnese once more had it her way. The Vatican would be hosting a masked ball for the higher society, whilst he would sponsor a public feast for the common people.

The preparations began in good time, selecting food and decorations. The party would be held in private in Rodrigo's apartment, and surprisingly few cardinals had been invited; only cardinal Cesare Borgia and Ascanio Sforza were to attend.

That was what Lucrezia told Jane two days before the festivities were to begin. Jane and Lucrezia were both trying on dresses for the ball – Rodrigo had, very generously, offered to buy Jane a dress for the ball – and they were discussing the program.

"My mother will not be there, either," Lucrezia said, and she seemed saddened by the fact. However, this seemed to be her only disappointment.

"I would see it as natural; after all the party was Giulia's idea," Jane said, thinking of the rivalry that there, obviously, was between the two women, "but it is strange that so few cardinals will be attending."

"I am glad it is so. That only means that it will not be a boring Vatican meeting," Lucrezia said as her arm was lifted above her head by one of the dressers.

"It also worries me," Jane said, "some of the cardinals must feel left out. If there is one thing your father does not need in the moment, then it is more enemies."

Lucrezia smiled somehow overbearingly. "All the cardinals have their own balls and parties where the other cardinals are not to attend."

"But when your father invites two cardinals, leaving out the rest, then it becomes a problem," Jane said.

Lucrezia gave her a sideways glance before returning her gaze to the mirror in front of her. "You must remember _which_ two cardinals have been invited; the son and the Vice Chansellor. It is a sensible decision."

Jane nodded; it made sense, but sadly the church's politics didn't always make sense. Nor did some of the cardinals. She shook away the thoughts of the guest list and looked herself over in the mirror. She was wearing a long, white dress in two layers; it fell like the kind of dress that the ancient Roman Gods would wear, except it had two long sleeves. The sleeves were particularly beautiful; they were basically like a long piece of rectangular fabric, which was attached to the dress under her shoulder. On each side of the sleeve there had been added five pairs of golden silk strings, which you used to bind together the sides of the sleeve. It gave a very beautiful result.

Lucrezia had chosen to go all in as the ancient goddess Isis; she wore the classical toga with only a golden bracelet as jewelry; it hung closely to her wrist and was wide enough to go all the way from where her wrist became her hand to right beneath her elbow. Lucrezia had already chosen a mask; she would be wearing a white mask with lots of golden decorations, all of them symbolic for wisdom, magic and the perfect wife.

"Which goddess will Giulia choose?" Jane asked

"Last I heard, she had picked Minerva, goddess of poetry and wisdom," Lucrezia answered, twirling in her dress to get a better look at it. She didn't need to worry; the dress fell perfectly, thanks to the talented dresser whom the Pope had ordered. "Father will come as Janus, and Cesare as Mars," she continued.

"And Juan?"

"No one knows – for all I care he could have chosen not to attend," Lucrezia said harshly, "but if I should guess, my guess would be Bacchus."

Jane laughed at that; Bacchus was the god of wine and ecstasy.

_May 4__th__ 1493_

Lucrezia, it appeared, was completely right about what costume Juan had chosen; you didn't even need to ask him whom he had dressed up as. Apart from that he, in his drunkenness, lived completely up to the essence of his character, he also wore grapes attached to his hair.

Jane also spotted Giulia as Minerva, her mask hiding her identity until the moment she sat down, at the left hand of the Pope when dinner began.

Everybody removed their masks at the dinner, which gave Jane the opportunity to figure out the disguise of the most important people at the dinner; Rodrigo was wearing a plain toga and a two-headed golden mask; Cesare had a simple golden mask which only covered the area around his eyes and was tied behind his head, and a civic crown; and Giulia's mask was red and golden and easily recognizable.

Whilst looking around the room, she noticed that there were plenty courtesans attending. It was normal for a party to invite a few courtesans, but this party had slightly more than a few. Not enough to make it an orgy, but enough so that it could become adventurous.

Another thing she noticed, while pretending to take a sip of wine (it wasn't dangerous for her to eat or drink, but too much would make her ill), was that Lucrezia, who was sitting to Jane's right, seemed to have Cesare's unshared attention during the entire meal. Lucrezia had always had a habit to talk a lot, and this habit wasn't weakened by the wine she'd been drinking, so she didn't notice her brother's stare from across the table.

Most of the guests had finished their dessert when the Pope rose from his seat. He instantly had the attention of every single person in the room.

"If all of you have finished eating I have prepared a surprise in the ball room. If you would please follow my waiter," he instructed and then took Giulia's hand and pulled her up from her seat, following the guest that were already emerging towards the ballroom.

Jane and Lucrezia walked beside each other towards the doors that led to the room where they were joined by Cesare.

"You will love this, sis," he said to Lucrezia. She gasped at his sudden appearance and then asked: "Do you know what it is? What is it?"

"Wait and see," he said mysteriously, playfully bumping his shoulder against hers. She frowned at him but he just laughed in response.

"Men," she whispered to Jane and shook her head.

Then they entered the ball room; it had been decorated with the roman red colors on the walls, but on the floor there had been spread white petals. The crowd had formed a circle around nine or ten dark-haired women clad in white togas made of a very light fabric. Their hair was loose and they wore wreath of flowers on top of their heads. They were positioned apparently without order, but very artistically.

"They stand so still. It is as if they are statues," Lucrezia said.

"Yes," Cesare said, whispering to indicate to Lucrezia that she should lower her voice.

"Are they?" she whispered with a smile. Cesare smiled back at her and shook his head.

Then the music began; a slow, beautiful melody that somehow evoked innocence and youth. The dancers moved in circles, twirling and dancing beautifully. Lucrezia and Cesare whispered comments to each other, and even though Jane, because of her vampire abilities, could have listened to their conversation, she chose not to. Instead, she focused on the show in front of her. On the other side of the scene, Jane saw Giulia lean up towards the Pope's ears to whisper something, and saw the Pope's smile.

Then someone tapped Jane on the shoulder. She turned her head to look at the man; he was wearing a completely black mask in the same style as Cesare's, but he wasn't wearing a costume.

"Signorina Giovanna Volturi?" he asked and she nodded. Looking out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Lucrezia and Cesare hadn't noticed the man. "Can I have a word with you, in private?" he asked.

"What is it?" she asked, but he shook his head.

"Not in here, there are too many people."

Jane took her time thinking about whether she should follow him or not, but he didn't look drunk or lustful, so she guessed that he had something to say, and that something might be very important. So after some hesitation she nodded and said: "Lead the way."

She followed him through the crowd watching the show, all of them too engrossed by the show to notice the two of them, making their way to one of the exits.

The hallway was cool and very quiet compared to the ballroom, and Jane felt herself relax instantly as the distractions around her vanished. The man led her further down the hall, around a corner and into an empty room. It was evident that the room had been under renovation.

"Who are you?" Jane asked. The man took off his mask, and she followed his example.

"I would like my name to remain unknown," he said.

"That would be unfair to me, since you already know my name," Jane answered.

He shook his head. "Madame, I am putting myself in great danger by coming here," he said.

"Then do what you needed to do," Jane told him.

"The Pope trusts you, yes?" he asked. Jane simply nodded. "We are a group of people who believe that the Borgia Pope is unfit for his position. We don't believe that God has chosen him, but rather that the greed from the other cardinals is the reason for his prosper."

Jane nodded for him to continue. "Greed is an evil feeling, but unfortunately not unknown to the cardinals. We believe that it is time for the Church to renovate itself, to remove the greedy and unholy from its powerful position and put the god-fearing and righteous in their place, starting with the removal of Borgia from his throne."

Jane wasn't shocked; she knew every man had his enemies, but this was getting absurd. She looked at the man, thinking that perhaps this was some sort of joke. "That's impossible," she said, "to put righteous and god-fearing in powerful positions. If a man is righteous, he would know that so much power is not meant for one person, and more importantly, no man could win an election without bribery."

"It is possible," he said, "If a revolution is what it takes, then it is worth it."

She shook her head at him. "But a man in power would see it from his position, far above the common people and see everything in a different perspective. His actions would never seem fair to you unless he was a fool who just happened to make what seemed to be the right decisions to you."

"Are you saying that we a stupid, just because we are poor?" he asked, anger rising in his voice.

"No, I am not," she said, making one last attempt to explain herself to him, "I am saying that you see things from a different point of view!"

"Yes, a point of view where everything isn't made of gold and marble!" he said, "Of course he doesn't see the problems of the world when he has none himself!"

The man rushed out of the room, leaving Jane utterly shocked for the first time in a very long time. She couldn't believe his ignorance, but she knew that if the people couldn't make any sense of the decisions, the Pope made, it was because they weren't explained to them. If that was so, then there was reason to worry.

Jane could remember her own ignorance, so long ago, when she'd blamed Aro for drinking blood. An action much more evil than any the Pope had ever done. But he'd explained it to her, and when she was changed, she knew. She knew it wasn't evil because it was necessary; like death at the end of a human life and the winter when summer subsides isn't evil. Sometimes things seemed evil, but when you saw the cause of them, you realized that they were there to prevent something even worse from happening.

As a vampire, she had learned how important vampires were for the humans. Without them noticing it, the Volturis took care of many things. Through secret societies they practically kept the human world from crashing down.

Jane shook away her thoughts and walked out of the room.

When she reentered the ball room, the dancers had left the dance floor and the guests had taken over. Most of the guests were beginning to show the results of the alcohol by now, and with all of the courtesans present, Jane was sure it was soon time for her to leave.

She began searching the room for the Pope. The first familiar faces, she saw, were those of Cesare and Lucrezia. They were sitting on a bench laughing and talking. Jane couldn't help but smile.

She made her way toward the two of them, and when she closed they both turned towards her.

"Do you know where your father is?" she asked them, "I was meaning to thank him for his invitation before I left – is that not the policy?"

"Are you leaving already?" Lucrezia asked. She didn't seem particularly affected by the alcohol; Jane knew she liked wine, but she wasn't too fond of being drunk.

"I am afraid I'm not really good company at a party, and I am not feeling too well," Jane said.

"The wine would probably explain that," Cesare said. Of course, that was the truth, but not for the reason that Cesare was implying. Jane smiled at him.

"Yes, that is probably all," she answered, "now, if you will excuse me, I will continue my search for your father."

"If you want me to, I would gladly tell my father that you looked for him to say goodbye, but that you did not find him," Lucrezia said.

"I would be grateful," Jane answered politely.

"Goodnight, then," Lucrezia said and bowed her head.

"Goodnight," Jane answered and repeated the gesture before leaving the room.

She wasn't very fond of being at balls, especially not human ones. They were too crowded and too warm. Jane had always preferred the cool and quiet, even as a human, so it was a relief to exit the ballroom.

Sometimes, Jane couldn't help but think if she had been meant to become a vampire; after all, her human self had shared so many similarities with them. And when she had those thoughts, she wondered if she'd ever really lived.


	10. Chapter 9 A Marriage to Change the World

**Chapter 9: A marriage to change the world**

_June 3__rd__ 1493_

The day on which the pearl of the Vatican, Lucrezia, was to marry was nearing, and her future husband had just arrived in the Holy City.

There was to be held a reservation for the most important people in this alliance including Lucrezia's three brothers, Juan, Gioffre and Cesare, her father and mother and various members of the house of Sforza.

It appeared that not a great lot of the Sforzas had decided to come; in fact, the only members of the family who arrived that day were Giovanni and his sister Catarina Sforza alongside Ascanio, who was expected to make an appearance – after all, he was the cousin of the husband and a supporter and ally of the wife's father, plus he had been the main reason for this marriage to even happen.

Since it was a dinner for the two families that were soon to be united, neither Jane nor Giulia was invited, but they would have the chance to meet the Sforzas the next day.

Jane hadn't had the chance to speak with the Pope or Cesare about the man at the masquerade with all the fuzz about the wedding, but she intended on telling them as soon as possible. For the moment, though, she was going to enjoy a night without Vatican meetings or festivities. The past month or more had been so full of them that she had barely had time to think.

The afternoon sun was slowly moving downwards towards the horizon when one of her servants announced that there was a guest for her. She rose from her seat in front of her east facing window.

"Who is it?" she asked, her voice calm after the meditation that it was to watch the sun fade.

"He calls himself Julio. I led him to your living room, if that is okay?" the servant asked, already stepping out of her sleeping chambers to escort her to the said room.

"Of course. He is a friend," Jane answered, following the young servant.

Julio seemed tense Jane noticed when she entered the room. She quickly dismissed the servant and sat down to face the young vampire. The red of his eyes seemed hazy and she could tell he hadn't been hunting for a while.

"You look pale," she said.

"I am a vampire," he said with a small smile. "I have a letter for you," he continued, rummaging through his pockets.

"Have you not been hunting?" Jane asked. Julio looked at her, frozen, letter in hand.

"It's from your brother," he said, holding the letter out.

"Why have you not been hunting?" she asked, looking intently at him.

"I have!" he protested but then added slowly, "just not recently."

"Why not?" Jane asked. She wondered how Alec hadn't noticed since it seemed pretty obvious.

"I am not sure," he said, drawing out the words, "it's just… I just can't."

"Why?" Jane asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I mean… it just seems wrong somehow," he said, looking at her, begging for her to understand, "I can't kill, I just can't."

"Of course you can," Jane said leaning towards him, "you need to feed."

"Is there no other way?" Julio looked desperate.

"There is," Jane said, "but that is not the way you should do it." She leaned back in her chair.

"I am not sure if I care. I just know that _this_ is not the way I should live. My single life should not be at the cost of so many," he said.

"You can feed on animals, too," Jane admitted, "your eyes will change and you will not have the same powers, but you can do it."

Julio let out a sigh, and to Jane it sounded as if he had held that breath for a long, long time. It was pretty normal for younger vampires to breathe, just out of sheer habit or because it calmed them. Jane was sure that Julio was that kind of pathetic vampire who didn't marvel in his new skills but would rather worry about the weak humans. Somehow, she managed not to look down upon him.

"Thank you," he said, his voice heavy with weariness.

Jane didn't answer; instead she took the letter from his hand, read it, replied it and gave it back. For a moment she looked at him, and then answered his thank even though it had been more than fifteen minutes since they'd last spoken.

"You shouldn't thank me," Jane answered. Julio smiled a very small smile and shook his head. "You don't even realize how good you are," he then said before leaving the room.

For a moment, Jane just sat and stared into nothing. She had become quite good at that while living with the Volturis. Not to think or to see anything. It didn't take long, though, before she was thrown out of her relaxed state by a Giulia, who entered the room with a very worried expression on her beautiful face.

"Lucrezia has returned," she said, her voice flat.

"And?" Jane inquired.

"Nothing good."

Jane rose from her seat and followed Giulia's hurrying steps down the hallway until they entered Lucrezia's sleeping chambers.

The room was just as richly decorated as all the other rooms in the palace, but right now Jane's eyes didn't wander to any other object than the bed.

Behind layers of curtains, Lucrezia lay in a foster position, clenching a pillow to her stomach. She was crying silently, her entire body cramping together around that pillow.

"Lucrezia!" Jane gasped as she quickly made her way over the floor and pulled the curtains to the side, kneeling by the bed. Giulia sat at the foot of the bed, calmly stroking Lucrezia's hair. Jane understood that that would be the best course of action; to be calm so that Lucrezia could be calm.

"Shh," Giulia whispered. A cramp that had taken hold of Lucrezia calmed, and she slowly relaxed. Jane could feel her own muscles relax, and she wondered when she had started to have such feelings about the human girl. She was once more pulled out of her thoughts when Lucrezia once more started crying, sobs and spasms taking over her body. Jane reached out to dry away the young girl's tears.

Jane could hear some turmoil downstairs, and Giulia was about to rise to see what was going on, but Jane knew that Giulia had better stay in the room with Lucrezia.

"Stay here," she said in a low voice before leaving the room and going downstairs. Halfway down the staircase, she was met by a raging Cesare.

"Where is she?" he roared, putting his hands on each of her shoulders, ready to shake her if she didn't answer.

"In her room, upstairs," Jane answered, shocked by the rage in Lucrezia's brother's voice. She followed him up the rest of the stairs and into the room. Though she couldn't see the expression on the man's face when he saw Lucrezia, curled up on her bed, she could only imagine how terrified and enraged it was.

But right now her cast those feelings aside. Cesare walked around the bed and curled up behind his sister. He muttered something into her ears and Lucrezia smiled a weak smile as Cesare's hand began stroking Lucrezia's arm. Cesare pressed a kiss to his sister's temple and used the hand that wasn't already stroking her arm to brush her hair back. He whispered into her ear once more and Lucrezia nodded somehow bravely. Then Cesare let his head fall down upon the bed, his left hand still stroking Lucrezia's arm.

Giulia rose from the bed. "Come," she said before leading Jane out of the room. "Let him work his magic."

"He really loves her," Jane commented when they'd left the room. Giulia just nodded in agreement. "What happened?" Jane then asked.

"Let us just say that it would be a miracle if this marriage becomes happy," she answered.

When Cesare left the room hours later, all he said was 'she's sleeping' before he left. But it was obvious that he would have agreed with Giulia's statement.

* * *

Jane had no doubts that Cesare had visited his father several times to complain about the marriage and to try to stop it, but apparently they hadn't worked.

Jane was happy to see that Lucrezia had, in spite of her apparent disgust with her future husband, managed to find joy in picking out the perfect wedding dress (apparently she had planned for months that she would be wearing beautiful, white veil with pearls, and she had almost decided how her dress would look like) and she had even been able to face Giovanni on several occasions since the dinner. It was still clear that Lucrezia could think of no worse thing than to marry this man, and Jane knew that Cesare already had several ideas as to how to kill the man in the most painful way, but they kept their appearances, and that was the most important thing.

Jane got to meet Giovanni two days before the marriage, and even though it was brief she still understood why Lucrezia was so appalled by the man; he was no genius in anything but military matters – which Jane knew that Lucrezia despised – and he seemed to have no opinion on any political matters. Also, he was fat and had a very unflattering haircut.

Jane was thinking these thoughts as she watched Lucrezia walk up the aisle, wearing her light and beautiful dress with that white pearl veil. Jane could feel how her respect for the girl – no, the woman – rose as she watched the composure and honor that she carried herself with; her head was held high and her back was straight and not a single tear was falling as she walked a road that would lead to her doom.

She hadn't even gotten to have her mother at present on this terrible day. But still, not a single tear formed in her eyes. She looked so perfectly beautiful and fragile, and Jane knew that this - her strength and mind – was what gave her the title of being the most beautiful woman in the Renaissance world.

Jane hadn't spoken much to the Pope, but it hadn't been out of anger. Jane wasn't really angry with Rodrigo for putting together this marriage. Many women went through this, and Jane knew how significant this marriage was to the survival of the Borgia family. Still, the ceremony seemed to last forever.

The dinner that followed afterwards was an awkward event. It started out pretty well; all the richest and most important families were at present. After the dinner had been finished, it wasn't exactly considered strange that the newly-wedded couple decided to spend time away from each other – after all, it was an arranged marriage and it was obvious that they shared no affections for each other.

Lucrezia had spent most of the night with various upper-class women that she knew from balls and parties and just from being at mass together, whilst Giovanni had spent his drinking with some of the men he apparently knew.

The night had been ruined when Juan performed his scandalous and perverse 'play' with prostitutes as actresses. Juan, of course, had been positively drunk and even though most of the guests (especially the men) had enjoyed the play, it would still be seen as a scandal.

Jane was now sitting with Cesare. Jane was a little worried for him; she had noticed that he had been drinking quite a lot and his mood hadn't become any better of that reason. Now, he was glaring holes into the back of Giovanni's head, muttering half-finished sentences. Although, he didn't need to finish them.

It was about this time that Lucrezia came over and sat in the couch beside her brother. She leaned her head on her brother's should and let her eyelids fall closed.

"I am very tired, brother," she said sleepily. Cesare looked down at her and said, "You must keep yourself awake a little longer, my dear."

"Can you speak to my husband…" she trailed off. She woke up from her doze and continued, "Can you…?"

Cesare sighed. "Giovanna, could you take care of Lucrezia for a moment?" he asked and Jane nodded, letting Lucrezia rest her head in her lap. Then Cesare was off to talk to Giovanni.

Jane observed the discussion with interest and finally decided to use her vampire skills to listen in on the conversation.

"With all respect, signor Sforza, she is still just a child. I am sure a man of your class can understand that and wait a little to perform your… duties." Jane could hear the disgust in Cesare voice even from across the room.

Giovanni looked over at where Jane was sitting with Lucrezia and almost feared that he knew that she was listening to them. _Of course he doesn't know! Don't be stupid, Jane_, she chided herself. It had been too long since she'd used her vampire abilities.

"If you say so," Giovanni said, looking back at Cesare. Jane stopped listening to the discussion and within a minute Cesare was once more standing by the couch.

"Here, let me take her," he said, lifting Lucrezia from the couch and out of the room. Jane followed Cesare with her eyes.

During the last few days she had realized the man's affections for his sister, and she envied his capability to love someone so infinitely. She knew how much hurt these feeling towards his sister had caused him, but they still didn't seem to falter in the least bit. Instead, he buried them deep within, ignoring them until she was so far away from him that she wouldn't see his hurt.

Jane had asked him the day before why he did that, and he'd answered, "Because she loves me as I do her, and therefore I know that she would be even more hurt by seeing my feelings."

But even though Jane found their relationship so beautiful in its selflessness it still worried her. Every time she saw the fire that lid up their eyes when they looked at each other or just thought about each other, she couldn't help but wonder how long it would be before their relationship crossed the boundaries of what was appropriate between brother and sister.

Cesare returned some minutes later, sitting down in the coach. He looked like a man who had just fought a thousand battles.

"She's asleep," he said. Jane had never realized how much the Pope and his son's voice reminded of each other; they were both hoarse and husky, both just as deep and masculine. Cesare in general reminded much of the Pope; perhaps that was why the Pope seemed to prefer his other son, the sinful, but charming and carefree Juan. Except Cesare had much more kindness in him than the Pope – or perhaps he was just still young enough to not have the same responsibility as the Pope had now.

"You worry for her," Jane said, more a statement than a question.

"Have you not met her husband?" he asked. Jane smiled and looked upon the scene where the scandalous play had been performed. "You remind me of her sometimes," Cesare continued.

Jane looked at him. "Me?"

"Yes," he laughed breathily. Jane looked back at the stage.

"I can see the resemblance in looks but nothing more," she said, inquiring for him to continue. Jane knew how flattering that comment was, taken Cesare's affections for his sister.

"You are more alike than you think, Giovanna," he said, drawing her gaze back to his, "You are both clever," he began, "but you are older and have more experience in life. I suspect she might be very much like you in a few years – she certainly hopes that herself." Jane smiled. "And you both grow very silent when the subject falls on mature topics."

"Like?" Jane asked, frowning.

"Sex," he answered simply, "I have known you for very long, and I have never seen your eyes wander to any man, and I have never heard you talk about love. Of course, I have heard Lucrezia talk about love, but…"

"Perhaps I do not speak of it because I have nothing to say," Jane answered. Cesare looked at her questioningly. "You could say that I lack experience," Jane elaborated, looking at the stage once more. It was true that she didn't like the topic, just as it was true that she didn't have enough experience to be able to say a lot. That would be no experience.

"You are…?" Cesare frowned at her.

"Yes," she answered, "did you expect anything else?" She wondered when she'd given reason for him to think anything else.

"It was not my meaning to hurt you, Giovanna," he said, trying to catch her gaze once more – and succeeding – before continuing, "It was merely the fact that such a beautiful and clever woman like you still could be married. I could only see one reason for that."

Jane smiled. "You have not hurt me in the least."

"You are lucky, then," Cesare said and shifted in his seat, "since you are both free of husband and of sins."

Jane laughed and said, "It would be sad to say that I am free of sins."

Cesare looked at her quizzically, but she just turned her gaze back to the empty stage once more. "I wish my sister was like you in one more way," Cesare said.

Jane turned to look at him again. "What is that?"

"I wish she was yet unmarried."


	11. Chapter 10 Machiavelli

**Shortest A/N in the world: **_Thanks so much to the anonymous reviewer who had so many incredibly nice words for me :-D I wish you weren't anonymous so that I could reply to you, but I thought you deserved a thank you-note nonetheless. I hope I won't disappoint you!_

* * *

**Chapter 10: Machiavelli**

_October 2nd 1493_

It had been a little over a year since Pope Alexander VI had been elected, and therefore a little over than a year since the unfortunately cunning Della Rovere had dedicated his life to the deposition of the Borgia Pope.

The last few months she had spent discussing to whom the different families and condottieros of Rome would pledge their allegiance; the Pope of Rome, chosen by God; or the king of France, inventor of a most horrible weapon that the Italians were so far from knowing that they didn't even have a word for it.

Jane was running over the rooftops of the city of Ostia. She was to meet Micheletto, and they would then, together, try to assassinate Della Rovere, who had – according to rumors – found safety inside the walls of the monastery.

Jane jumped from the rooftop of a house down into the ally where she was to meet Micheletto. He was already there.

"Rooftops," he commented, looking at the place where she'd jumped from, "I like your style."

They were both clad in a plebeians clothes to avoid any unnecessary attention. "Thanks," she said, "shall we get on with it?"

"Someone's in a good mood," he commented. Jane raised an eyebrow and gave him a look that could, in fact, almost kill. "Okay then. I bribed one of his servants to give us the key to the house he's living in. I suggest that we do it the simple way and stab him."

"What would be wrong with just poisoning him?"

"Well, last time we tried that he figured it out and let someone else to drink it; Cesare was furious with me."

"Well then, let us do as you suggested."

They walked out of the alley and towards the house where Della Rovere lived. Micheletto put a finger across his mouth as he soundlessly put the key in the keyhole and turned it. Without a sound, they walked through the dark house. Jane didn't breath and Micheletto did his best not to.

"His room is upstairs," Micheletto whispered. Jane nodded and followed him. "Step in the sides of the steps, and crawl on your arms, too, so that you can distribute your wait on more than one step at a time. That way, the steps will creak less."

And so she did. But even though they were both very careful as they walked up the stairs, the steps still creaked as they made their way upwards. Luckily, it was quickly over with.

Micheletto led her to a door, which he silently opened. They crept inside, looking around the room.

And it was empty.

They both stood stock-still. "He figured us out! Oh, to Hell with this!" Micheletto shouted.

"Please, keep at least that little dignity you got back," Jane said, as she walked around the room, her gaze wondering to every corner and furniture of the room, determined that this was not yet a failure. She walked to the desk underneath the window, where she found a piece of paper, which seemed to shine in the light of the moon. She raised an eyebrow as she read the words that had been scribbled down on it.

"To the man, who was to be my assassin," she read aloud, "it has been told to me that His Holiness the Pope has sent out one of his best _condottieros _for me. In my human fear of death, and in the belief that it is not God's will for me to die yet, I have left Italy and am now seeking refuge in France. I suspect that you will report this to your employer, and while you are there, you can tell him this: he should start preparing. Signed Giuliano della Rovere."

"Prepare for what?" Micheletto asked.

_He may know how to kill, but he obviously doesn't know how to think,_ Jane thought. He had started annoying her more and more these past months, where they had worked together very closely. Unfortunately it appeared that he hadn't grown annoyed with her; in fact, it seemed, he had begun trusting her. "Obviously, he is going to France to ask the French king to march on Rome. The king has been hardened by many years of battle against the English, and so has his army. It would be no problem for the King to seize Rome if he is there anyways."

"And why would he be there?"

Jane sighed. "Della Rovere wants the French army to crush Rome and kill the Pope, but the French king has no interest in that. So Della Rovere will, of course, use Naples as a reason for the king to subdue Rome. King Charles has a vague claim to the throne of Naples, through his paternal grandmother, but now Alfonso, the successor of the former king of Naples, is threatening his claim on the throne. Since the king has to march through the Papal States and Rome on his way to Naples, Rovere can easily convince the king to take over Rome as well."

"I see. But surely the Papal army can hold them back? And add the alliance with the Sforzas to that…"

Jane cut him off: "The French has canons."

* * *

_October 5__th__ 1493_

Jane was sitting beside Cesare in a small room, mostly furnished in heavy, wooden furniture. Paintings decorated the walls and few, but very beautiful ornaments stood on the tables in the room.

"Why did you not need my assistance during your meeting with the Medicis, when you apparently need it now?" she asked, looking at his worried face. Cesare had spent the last week trying to persuade the rulers of Florence to not let the French arms through.

"I have heard words that a republic is on the rising."

"Is that so?" Jane interrupted with a mischievous smile. Cesare smiled back.

"Yes, and in the case of that happening, the Medicis will not hold much power any more. In fact, they already have very limited power over the state."

"And now you are about to meet with Niccolò Machiavelli, who…?"

"Who it is rumored might be one of the candidates for the position as the head of Second Chancery," Cesare told her.

"Which would mean…"

"…that he practically ruled the state," they finished together. Jane snickered.

"Exactly," Cesare said.

"This Della Rovere has caused so many changes," Jane mused.

"Not just him. You must remember that some of them are caused by the Papal election, by other scandals, by Italy itself being restored."

"Yes, I know. But trouble seems to follow him wherever he goes," Jane said.

"That I cannot argue with," Cesare said, looking to the side as the door slid open. A dark-haired, pale, thin man stepped out of the room. He didn't look particularly attractive, but neither was he ugly. He wore the red and black clothing of a scholar.

Cesare and Jane rose to stand. "Signor Machiavelli," Cesare said and bowed his head.

"Cardinal Borgia," Niccolò said and bowed his head as well.

"May I present to you, Giovanna Volturi," he said and held his hand out to Jane. Jane took it and did a small curtsey. Niccolò bowed his head to her as well.

"Would you like to come in?" he said with a sparkle of amusement in his voice. What he found amusing, Jane couldn't tell.

"I believe you have come to debate the oncoming war?" he said.

"We have," Cesare said, careful not to say too much.

"With great offerings if Florence decides to stay loyal to your father?"

"Yes," Cesare said with a small smile. "I suppose you have heard of the… aggressiveness of the French."

"Yes, and it fills me with dread to think of what might happen to Florence if we decide to oppose ourselves against them."

"And yet I do not believe that you are completely opposed to my offer."

Machiavelli's lips quirked up into a smile for a second. "How can I be opposed to an offer that has not even been made?"

Jane tilted her head to the side, only just realizing what kind of man this Machiavelli was. Those last few minutes he had said so many words and answered several of Cesare's questions without ever letting them hear his real opinions.

Niccolò noticed the slight movement of her head and his gaze moved to her, observing her. That was when she saw the real attractiveness of the man; he might not have the most handsome looks, but his gaze was as sharp as a knife with his intelligence. His eyes searched Jane's for a few seconds and she managed to keep her face unaffected and still. His eyes went back to Cesare's.

"Would you make sure that Florence kept the French arms away from Rome?" Cesare asked directly.

"In my current position I do not hold the power to make such a promise."

"But in the position of head of Second Chancery in the republic of Florence?" Cesare asked. "Many people agree that you have the abilities required for such a position."

"As far as I know, there is now republic of Florence," Machiavelli said.

"Yet," Cesare added. Machiavelli nodded ever so slightly.

"And say this republic was formed, as you predict, would you be able to secure my position in it?" Machiavelli asked.

"I believe that if you protected His delegate on Earth, God would find you worthy of the office."

"And as the earthly delegate of God, your father would help God give me this office?" Machiavelli inquired.

Cesare hesitated before he answered, "My father, the Holy Father, is only Pope because of his ability to follow God's instructions."

"I think I can see an agreement forming," Machivelli said.

"How is that possible when I am yet to make an offer?" Cesare asked with a slight smile.

Machiavelli smirked. "Some offers, Your Eminence, can be made without being put into words."

* * *

_October 5th 1493_

Jane walked through the darkening streets of Florence. The sun was slowly sinking in the horizon as Jane followed the instructions that her brother had given her in one of his letters, in case she would need to find him. Jane's thoughts kept wandering towards the meeting earlier that night. There were no doubts that Machiavelli was a genius, and that he respected the Pope, but his words were so covered that she was unsure what he was going to do.

Jane found herself on one of the cleanest streets she had yet seen; there were no homeless or drunks, and the street was filled with fine shops – designers, banks, doctors… - with windows made of glass, through which you could see their products.

Jane walked to one of the physician's shops, and looked through the window. She instantly recognized Alec's crystal bottles in the window, and her face broke into a wide smile when she saw her brother for the first time in almost two years. She walked to the door and opened it. Alec's eyes wandered from his costumer to the door, and his eyes lit up. "Sis!"

"Alec," she said, and then the happiness of seeing him again overwhelmed her, and she had made her way through the store in a few, quick steps, and threw herself into her brothers arms. Alec and Jane weren't used to being parted; during their human lives, they'd had to stick together, as they only had each other because of the prejudice of the other citizens. When they'd lived with the Volturis, they had only had each other and Aro – all the other vampires had tried to keep them down in fear of how powerful they might become. So being apart for almost two years, even if they were vampires, and two years felt like nothing compared to the rest of their long lives, had built up an immense loss for her brother inside Jane.

Alec gripped Jane tight and lifted her feet from the floor, which brought them both into a series of giggles. He then finally put Jane down and pushed her away from him to look her up and down.

"You look beautiful, Jane," he said with a wide smile.

"And you look handsome," Jane said. He was wearing fashionable, expensive clothes and his hair was longer than the last time she'd seen him.

"I thought you would never visit me," he said, drawing her into another hug, and this time Jane was the one to end it.

"I am very sorry, but I have a lot of responsibilities in Rome. I can only stay here tonight. The French king is on his way to Naples, and I fear the he will try to attack Rome."

"Why are you here, then?" Alec asked.

"I have just visited Niccolò Machiavelli, one of the leaders of Florence, to try and work out an alliance." Jane didn't even want to try and explain the complicated politics behind this to her brother.

"You should go take care of your costumer," she mentioned, narrowing her eyes at the woman, who was standing awkwardly at the same spot as she had when Jane had entered.

"Oh," he said as he remembered, "Excuse me…"

When Alec left Jane to walk over to the costumer, Jane saw Julio standing in the door that led to the back premises of the shop. She smiled. "Hello, Julio," she said.

"Good evening, Jane," he said, with an even wider smile.

Alec returned to Jane's side and said to Julio: "My sister has decided only to grant us one short night in her company, so I suggest that we go hunt together."

"I would like that very much," Jane said – she really had missed hunting with someone, especially hunting with Alec.

Julio nodded in agreement. "It sounds good to me."

"It is settled then," Alec said, just as another costumer entered. "I think I will have to excuse myself again, but you two can just go ahead while I close down the shop."

Julio led Jane to the door where he had appeared a few moments earlier, while Alec went to take care of the costumer a charming smile on his face as he greeted her politely.

"He can be so charming when he wants to," Jane commented, looking at Julio. It had been a few months since she'd last seen him, and she didn't quite know what to say to him. Julio opened a door that led to the streets for her, letting her out before he followed. "What will you do now?" she asked, since she knew he didn't drink human blood.

He smiled. "I think I can hunt humans this once." They fell silent once more.

"Can I say that I have missed you?" he asked, clearly just as anxious as Jane.

"Of course. I have missed you, too," she said. They stood still, waiting for Alec to join them.

The night was getting colder and the sun was now completely gone, the street only lit by the street lamps (a sign of wealth, Jane noted). It seemed to be a long time that they stood there, in silence, tension building up between them until the air around them felt so thick with tension, that it felt as if even the physical air around them became thicker. Alec kept looking around, trying to think of something to say, something else but the words that kept creeping into his mind, the words that he really wanted to say and hear in return. And then he just couldn't keep them back anymore.

"Jane, I love you," he breathed, suddenly, his voice full with desperation.

But before Jane could respond, Alec opened the door behind them and walked up to them. "Are you ready?" he asked, noticing the tension between them, but not putting anything into it.

Jane and Julio turned to Alec and nodded, Jane with a nervous smile on her face.

* * *

The sun was slowly rising over the city, and Alec pulled out a small bottle, containing the liquid that stopped them from shining, letting it go round. The three vampires were sitting on the top of a roof, enjoying the calm mood they were in after the hunt.

Jane slowly sat, running her hand through her hair, brushing it over her right shoulder. "I have to leave you now, brother."

"Are you sure that you cannot stay a little longer?" he asked, as they all rose to stand.

"I wish I could, but I am needed elsewhere," she answered, truly sad that she couldn't stay.

"Well, then you must go," Alec said, and kissed her on the cheek as goodbye.

"Goodbye, Julio," she said, looking at the boy.

"Goodbye, Jane," he answered, looking into her eyes in a way that made her think that he was searching for something. But then, suddenly, he looked away, and Jane turned around and sprinted away over the roofs, continuing her travel over Italy in the search of the last people in Italy who would still support him, even if they were to face the French army.


	12. Chapter 11 Lucrezia's New Home

**Chapter 11: Lucrezia's new home**

_October 7th 1493_

Jane mounted the horse and put it at a gallop, leaving behind the drained owner. She had figured that she couldn't enter the Sforza house without a horse. In the renaissance world, appearances were everything; a horse or a beautiful dress meant more than it seemed. In this materialistic world, what you could afford to have had a great deal to do with how much influence you had. A person of such significance as Giovanni wasn't going to take a woman seriously if she'd walked by foot from Rome to Gradara.

Jane didn't need to ride for long before she reached her destination. She slowed down the horse until it was trotting slowly, the sound of the horse's hoofs against the pavement alarming the servants on the other side of the gate that enclosed the house from the rest of the world.

The house was surrounded by fields, on which she could see workers working. There were small farms scattered around the fields, none of them nearly as big as the one Jane was approaching.

Then, the gates opened for her, allowing her a look inside the courtyard. It stood in sharp contrast to what she had seen in the cities; wide streets, tall buildings, clean, white monuments and clear, light colors. The ground in the courtyard didn't have any decorations, not even a single flower; instead it was covered with sandy soil that had long since been blown up against the walls of the house, leaving them just as boring in their color as the ground. When she entered, she had the stables to her right, it appeared. That was where the owner kept his horses, but also other animals that needed the shelter, and different equipment used for farming. To the left were the servant's apartments, and straight ahead was the house.

The house itself seemed in pretty good shape; it was made of stone, and if the owner had only cared to clean it once in a while, it would have been pretty enough.

As Jane rode through the gates, a man well up in his twenties came running out. He was sheer ugly; Jane had never seen such a disharmonious face. The man's left eye sat a great deal higher in his face than his right eye, making the left corner of his mouth curve upwards as in a half smile, and, as if that wasn't enough, his eyebrows seemed to grow together.

The man took hold of the rein with his left hand, stopping the horse.

"Signora," he said, holding a hand out to support Jane as she dismounted the horse. When she landed on the ground, the doors to the main building opened, and out came a beautiful, but older-looking Lucrezia.

Lucrezia's clothes seemed to summon up the contrast between her new and old home pretty well; her former gowns, the ones she'd worn at the court of the Pope, had been rich in color and embroideries, while this one was simpler, in warmer, but boring, colors. The fabric of her gown was in a reddish brown color with red patterns. Her sleeves were cut so that the sleeves of her undergarment showed.

But the biggest difference between the Lucrezia Jane had known before the wedding that summer, and the one she saw now, was the look in her eyes. They still shone with life but there was something older about them, which was something that made Jane nervous. As a vampire, she was used to not judge a person by their obvious age, but by the age that they showed in their actions, and the age that showed in their eyes, and Lucrezia had aged many years since Jane last met her some months earlier.

"Giovanna!" Lucrezia called out, her childish voice and large smile still the same, but with a hint of maturity.

"Lucrezia," Jane said walking towards the young woman, "Signora Sforza now, is it?" she added.

"Yes," she said, with a good imitation of happiness. Her face was lit by a smile that she had obviously rehearsed many times, but Jane wasn't fooled. Something was wrong. "I am afraid my husband is not present at this moment, he is hunting," Lucrezia said.

"Then I can speak to you in private," Jane said with smile, "you must tell me about married life."

"We can speak in one of my rooms," Lucrezia said, taking Jane's hand and leading her inside the house.

The house was very old-fashioned in its style, with raw wooden walls and floors. There was something cold about the rooms that Jane could see as she passed by them.

Then Lucrezia and Jane entered another room; this one was lighter, with a window overlooking the fields outside and the walls having been painted white. The floor was covered by thick rugs, and the room was furnished with couches in light colors and wooden tables.

Jane sat down on one of the couches, and Lucrezia sat to face her. On the table in front of them, a waiter had placed a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"I am sorry about the look of this place," Lucrezia said, looking around. "I am sure that you are, just as I was, used to the splendid style of the Pope. My husband, you see, insists that we do not use too much money on the house."

"I have to admit that it does not live up to the Vatican, but you have done well with the resources you have had," Jane said, and with more worry in her voice, she continued: "How is your husband?"

Lucrezia lowered her gaze. "He has been very gracious to me." It wasn't hard to tell that it was a lie.

"Lucrezia," Jane said, forcing Lucrezia's eyes to meet hers, "Tell me the truth."

"I am telling you the truth," Lucrezia said, "well, perhaps he has not been exactly gracious, but he has done nothing to harm me. In fact, he does not see me at all that often, only when we dine and engage in our matrimonial… duties," Lucrezia continued, avoiding Jane's eyes when she said the last part.

"He avoids you?" Jane asked, startled, "Does he not love you?"

"I do not think that he has such feelings for me, no," Lucrezia admitted.

"Does he hate you? Please tell me that he do not hate you," Jane asked.

Lucrezia laughed as if she had said something silly. "Giovanna, I doubt that my husband feels anything that passionate for me. To him, I am just a wife."

"Just a wife?" Jane asked, "How can one be 'just a wife'?"

"Observe," Lucrezia said, smiling sadly.

Jane smiled just as sadly. "I hope he is not as poor at the other part of the marriage," she said.

"What do you mean?" Lucrezia asked, her voice in a slightly higher tone than usual.

"As you put it, the matrimonial duties," Jane said. Lucrezia blushed and looked down, not just in embarrassment.

"I am afraid that I am just as disappointing to my husband in the marriage bed as I am anywhere else," she said. Her eyes were watering, and Jane truly felt sorry for her; both for that she had such an apparently bad marriage, but also because she actually thought that she was the one making the mistakes.

"What do you mean?" Jane asked.

"There is something with my face, I think, when we – do it. He makes me… I have to…" she trailed off at the end of every sentence, trying to put whatever she was trying to say into words, "he tells me to get into another… position." Lucrezia bit her lower lip, now obviously trying to hold back her tears.

Jane froze - she knew what Lucrezia was talking about, of course. Not that she'd tried it herself, but she had walked in on quite a few couples (sometimes more than just a couple) in sexual situations – after all, she had lived for almost a millennium, she had been bound to see that kind of stuff. "Oh," she said, after a while. She hadn't realized exactly how bad a situation this was. "Is he violent?"

"Not really," Lucrezia said, "but it hurts when he…" she trailed off again, starting a new sentence: "When Giulia told me how it felt when she was with men in that way, she always made it sound so amazing, as if it was the best thing in the world. Sometimes, I doubt that the thing she has done, is the same as the thing me and my husband do."

"I doubt it is, too," Jane said. Surely, it couldn't be the same thing? Technically, yes, but not really.

"Yes," Lucrezia agreed. "Sometimes, I wish he was dead. That would end it all. I am not yet pregnant, and I doubt that I want to be, with his child, that is."

"I can talk to your father, he can annul the marriage," Jane said, her voice full of sympathy.

"He could, yes, but I do not believe that he would. He needs this alliance," Lucrezia said, and before Jane could say anything, she continued: "And it is not all bad, Giovanna."

"How so?" Jane was doubtful that there was any good in this marriage. She had loved Lucrezia when she was young; she had loved how she seemed light as a feather, with no worries at all. She had been carefree, and Jane was anxious that her marriage with Giovanni would ruin this quality in her forever.

"I like to think that, whatever wrong my husband does me, he can never take my dignity," Lucrezia said, and shifted in her seat so that she could stretch her back and sit upright as she continued: "For example, in the case we discussed before, when we perform our _duties_-" Lucrezia focused on that word, making it clear that neither of them enjoyed having sex "-and he asks me to do as he wants me to, I do it. I do not give him any reason to be mad at me, and I do my every duty as a wife to him. When we dine, I ask him how his day has been, and I act to care when he talks of it."

"If that is all that there is to keep you happy, I am very worried," Jane said, but she was actually pleased; Lucrezia had obviously aged, when she could think like that.

"That is not all that makes me happy," Lucrezia said, not sounding happy, though. "Another thing is the thought of that everything I go through, I got through for my family. I am keeping them safe, giving power to my father, so that he can protect my brothers." She sat in silence for a while. "I miss them so very much, especially Cesare. He would always be so kind to me. We often walked together in the gardens, speaking of whatever fell to our mind. He would tell me his worries, and I would sooth him."

"Cesare loves you very much. He would kill your husband if he knew of this."

"That is why he mustn't," Lucrezia said, looking at her hands that she had folded in her lap. The fact that Lucrezia was unwilling to look Jane in the eyes as she said that, made it clear to Jane that she, somewhere in the darkest corners of her mind, wished that Jane would go to Rome and tell her father and brother all about her husband's faults so that they would come and kill him. But she didn't admit that to Jane, and perhaps not even to herself. "Please don't, if Cesare does what he undoubtedly would do, this would all be for nothing. Don't let it be for nothing."

In that moment, a waiter appeared in the door. "Your husband has returned from his hunt," he announced, making Lucrezia twitch.

"Is he ready to meet our guest?" Lucrezia asked.

"He is waiting in the large hall," the waiter answered, then left when it was obvious that Lucrezia wasn't going to ask any more.

"Well then, if you would follow me," Lucrezia said, rising from her chair.

Lucrezia had led Jane to a large hall, which was obviously mostly used before or after a hunt; the walls were covered by the skins and heads from animals, just as skins worked as carpets on the floor. In the middle of the room there was a long table with many chairs placed around it. At the very end of it, Giovanni sat on a throne-like chair, clearly waiting for his wife and guest.

"I hope the hunt was good?" Lucrezia said, sitting down on his right hand, Jane walking to the other side of the table to sit across Lucrezia.

"Very much so," Giovanni said into his hand, which was supporting his head. He didn't even try to cover his boredom, and Jane had to admit that it infuriated her. "Why did you not tell me that we had guests?"

"I did not know before she came," Lucrezia answered, her voice small and nervous. Giovanni snorted.

"And who are you?" he asked, turning his head to face Jane without removing his hand from his face. Jane noticed that he was all sweaty and his clothes were still dirty from the hunt, just as his hair seemed greasy.

"My name is Giovanna Volturi de Volterra," Jane said, straightening her back, making her as tall as possible to make it clear to Giovanni that she was not afraid of him.

He snorted again, apparently a bad habit of his. Or just his way of degrading someone. Either way, it wasn't charming. "What is Volterra?"

"It is a city in Siena," Jane answered.

"Never heard of it," Giovanni said.

Jane stopped herself from telling him how ignorant he was then. Lucrezia was right; the only way of winning a discussion with this man was to keep your moral dignity, which he obviously didn't bother with at all.

"I did not come all this way from Rome to discuss cities with you," Jane said, "I am here to speak for the Pope of Rome."

"The Pope of Rome? What business does he have with me?" Giovanni asked, still sounding just as bored.

"In case you have forgotten, you are married to his daughter," Jane answered coolly.

"I am not married to his daughter. Lucrezia is no longer a Borgia, she is a Sforza."

"The Pope clearly disagrees, and so do I." Giovanni didn't answer. He just stared at her.

"And you do have an alliance, a military alliance," Jane continued.

"Yes. What with it?"

"The Pope asks you to send your troops to the southern border of Siena, so that you can meet the French army before it enters the Papal States."

"The French army?" Giovanni asked, for the first time showing a little interest in the discussion.

"Yes. He fears that the French king will march on Rome, so he wishes you to stop him before he enters the Papal States – not to attack, but to make the king aware of your presence."

"And what interest do I have in that?" Giovanni asked.

"Do you not want to keep your beautiful wife?" Jane explained, not because he didn't know this, but to remind him that there were consequences if he chose not to help the Pope. "She is the reason for your alliance with the Pope."

"Yes, I am indeed in an alliance with the Pope, but I do not see why I should participate in it, when he does not seem to be willing to participate himself," Giovanni said.

"What do you mean?" Jane asked, truly puzzled by what he'd just said.

"I mean this: the Pope is very willing to engage in an alliance with me, as long as I am the only one to do the sacrifices. I feel that he has not yet done anything to show his wish to have this alliance."

"He has given you his daughter as wife, which is much more than you have yet done," Jane told him harshly, ignoring the feeling of Lucrezia foot against her leg, trying to calm her.

Giovanni laughed loudly. "I did him a _favor_ by marrying his whore of a bastard child!" he roared, finally removing that darn hand of his from his face to wave it around in the air.

"Whore?" Jane asked. "Was she not virtuous on your wedding night?" The lack of answer was all she needed. "But if this is your attitude, then I shall gladly travel to Rome and tell the Pope," she said as she rose from her seat.

Giovanni smiled at her. "You do that. I cannot see what he could possibly do about it."

Jane smiled at him. "You just wait and see." She then turned to Lucrezia and said: "I am very sorry for my inappropriate behavior, and for that I must now leave so abruptly. I will send your family your love."

Lucrezia looked very frightened, Jane suddenly realized. But Lucrezia seemed to shake it off her, rising from her chair as she said: "Let me follow you out, Giovanna."

Lucrezia took her hand, leaving her husband sitting in the chair.

Lucrezia and Jane walked in silence until they reached the doors. Lucrezia opened the door for Jane, and they walked outside.

"Pablo," Lucrezia said, looking at the misshapen stable boy, "prepare our guest's horse." He nodded and ran off.

Lucrezia then turned to Jane. Her eyes seemed ice blue as she said: "Please, do not tell the Pope of this. My father needs this alliance."

"Not if your husband does not care for the alliance," Jane said, filled with anger that she was trying to keep inside.

"Oh, but he will. He just needs some time to think and calm down. When he comes to his senses again, he will realize that he did wrong, and he will send an apology with his troops," Lucrezia said, and when she saw the expression of disbelief on Jane's face, she added: "I am sure that he did not mean any of the things he said. It was probably just a bad hunt, that is all. Believe me, Giovanna."

"I cannot promise anything," Jane said. Before Lucrezia could say anymore, the stable boy returned with Jane's horse. Jane walked over to it and mounted it, Lucrezia following behind her.

"Please visit me again soon. I miss my family and friends in Rome so much," Lucrezia said, looking up at Jane, who nodded. "I will," she said, before turning the horse and riding out of the gates.

And Jane really couldn't promise anything because, in that moment, all she wanted was to see that terrible man, Giovanni Sforza, suffer an excruciating and painful death.


	13. Chapter 12 Vengeance, you see, can wait

**CHAPTER 12: Vengeance, you see, can wait…**

_December 19th 1493_

The travel back to Rome had been a long one. Jane seemed to always get sidetracked. Way too often, she'd had a sudden urge to hunt, and she would just as often turn around and ride back towards Gradara or Florence, just to realize that she had to go to Rome. She had wasted days and days like this, never seeming to reach a conclusion, a decision. In the beginning of December, she had decided; she was going to Rome, and she was going to tell the Pope the full and only truth – everything she had seen in Gradara and Ostia would be reported, together with her opinion on Cesare's new favorite, Niccolò Machiavelli.

So on the 19th of December, in the middle of the night, Jane entered a house she hadn't entered for a long while now. She moved silently down the corridors of her home, afraid to wake Giulia up – if she was there.

She was, it seemed, because she suddenly appeared behind Jane.

"Giovanna?" she asked, her startled face lit up by a handheld candle.

"Giulia!" Jane said smiling.

"But… you are alive, thank God!" Giulia breathed.

"Excuse me?" Why wouldn't she be alive?

"No time for that, you must go speak to the Pope, immediately!" Giulia said, taking a hold of Jane's arm and pulled her back down the hall.

Jane had been pulled all the way through the secret passage from her home to the Vatican, and right into the private chambers of the Pope.

"Holy Father!" Giulia said to the man, who was currently kneeling in front of a golden cross, apparently deep in prayer. He rose slowly when he heard the voice of his lover. "Giulia Farnese," he said with a smirk.

And then he saw Jane. "Giovanna…" he said, staring at her without blinking even once, as if he thought that if he looked away from her, even for a second, that she would disappear.

The Pope then took five long steps and embraced her, holding her tightly as he whispered: "We thought you were dead…"

Jane pushed him away gently, not tolerating one more second of ignorance: "Why did you think I was dead, Holy Father?" she asked, searching his eyes.

"You have been gone for weeks, child," he said, "Where have you been?"

"I have been in Gradara, to speak with your daughter," she answered.

"Yes, Cesare told us that," the Pope said, "but that was so long ago. You have made us so worried."

"I am very sorry for causing you any worry, but I do not understand how I did so. You must know that I can take care of myself."

"Indeed," he said. He seemed to think something over, but then said: "I am very sorry for disturbing your sleep, but as due to your delay, I must call to a meeting. Giulia, you must find a servant and have him bring the cardinals Borgia and Sforza to my library," Giulia nodded and turned around just as the Pope said: "We shall need your presence, too, and Micheletto's."

Giulia walked off, and the Pope asked Jane to step outside while he dressed. When he returned to Jane, he was fully dressed, wearing a white gown.

"Follow me," he said, leading her down the hall. Jane followed with quick steps as he entered a door to their left, which led to a smaller room. The room didn't seem big, but it had a high ceiling with book shelves reaching upwards. In the middle, there was a small table and some chairs. The Pope sat, and Jane followed his example, just as Giulia entered.

Behind her, three men followed, two clad in the red color of a cardinal, the third in the dark clothes of a normal citizen.

The Pope rose from his seat, inclining for Jane to follow his example. Cesare, who was now wearing cardinal red (his father had promoted him shortly after the election), sat down beside his manservant, Micheletto, leaving the last cardinal to stand in the middle of the room. He seemed like a young cardinal, perhaps in his late thirties. His hair was light brown and his eyes dark. He had a sort of sharp and intelligent look, which was mainly supported by his gleaming eyes, the curve of his eyebrows and shape of his nose.

"Lady Giovanna Volturi, let me present to you Vice-Chansellor Ascanio Sforza," the Pope said, leading her to stand in front of the man.

Ascanio bowed his head at her and Jane curtsied. He then said: "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Lady Giovanna, for I have heard so much good about you."

"And I of you," Jane lied, fully aware that he might be lying, too.

"Cardinal Sforza is a great friend and supporter of mine," the Pope said, "and among his many favors to me, he was the one to arrange the marriage between Lucrezia and his cousin, Giovanni."

When Jane heard Giovanni's name, she once again felt the rage that had almost taken over her in Gradara and couldn't stop herself from turning to look into the eyes of the cardinal and say: "I must hate you, then."

The entire room was silenced, the rest of the guests now keeping a good eye on how this situation would evolve. Ascanio, luckily, wasn't a touchy type of guy, so he just laughed. "That makes it very hard to work together, as I am sure was the plan." Ascanio looked at the Pope.

"What is your reason to hate him?" the Pope asked.

"My reason is that he arranged the marriage between Lucrezia and Giovanni, Holy Father," she answered promptly.

"And why is that a reason to hate him?"

"Because Giovanni, and excuse me for saying this. He is making a terrible husband for Lucrezia."

The Pope blinked at her direct answer, while Ascanio seemed to be unaffected.

"Tell me," the Pope said, sitting down on one of the chairs, his eyes never leaving Jane's. And she did.

Cesare had been patient, but at several occasions during Jane's tale he had most of all wanted to jump from his seat, saddle his horse and ride off to kill Giovanni. When Jane finished, Rodrigo was deep in thought, his left arm supporting his head as he mulled this new information over. Cesare, on the other hand, did not plan on thinking.

"I would serve his hear for Lucrezia on a dinner plate, if only he had one!" he said passionately, his voice hoarse. Rodrigo lifted his left hand, silencing his son. Cesare knew better than to disobey his father, and he closed his mouth, his breathing still desperate as if he'd just run a mile.

"What violent people you associate with, Holy Father," Ascanio said in a calm voice. He seemed to have an ability to keep everything in a distance so that nothing really shocked him, giving him the ability to be objective. That was a good talent to have, one that the Vatican could use.

The Pope nodded at his comment, which somehow caused Ascanio to smile a little. "I do not think that this is reason enough to worry; Giovanni has never been quick to help, especially not when he has to risk something. But he is not stupid, so I think that he will, as Lucrezia told you, send his troops anyways."

"And if not?" Jane asked. This wasn't the part that worried her, but she did think that it was the important part, right now at least. Had she been a better person, she would have cared more for Lucrezia's happiness. Had she been a cleverer person, she wouldn't have wasted her time on this inner debate. But she was neither; once, she had been clever – cynical, yes, but clever. Wise, even, at times. But you couldn't care for feelings if you wanted to be wise, because a wise person had to see a case from both sides, and that was not possible if you felt something for the case. So she had to decide, who did she want to be?

The Pope leaned back, drawing in a breath through his nose. "Then we must tend to other means," he answered.

Cesare couldn't keep himself back anymore: "And _when_ will we revenge my sister?" he growled, leaning forward.

"Patience, my son," Rodrigo said, looking into his son's darkened eyes, "vengeance is patient. It can wait a lifetime if necessary, because it never dies. Remember that."

"Vengeance," Cesare said, "vengeance is not all I want. Have you forgotten about justice?"

"Must the entire population of this state suffer under your righteousness, then?" Rodrigo roared, rising from his chair, "as Pope of Rome I am father to all. I am like a shepherd, who must take care of the entire herd, not just one lamb, even if I care more for it than the others!"

"And if a wolf should happen to lure one lamb out of the flock, would a shepherd not try to save it? Is that not the shepherd's duty?"

"Not if he is already occupied keeping a bunch of running beasts from running over the rest of the flock. Surely, a shepherd should never favor a single lamb over the entire herd?"

"No, but neither should he trust the wolf to help him, should he?"

"But a wolf _would_ scare the beasts away!"

"Not if these were to scare the wolf first," Cesare said, his eyes on the Pope intent.

"Holy Father, perhaps now would be a good time to close this meeting," Giulia Farnese said, rising graciously from her chair. "After all, we are all very tired and upset about this news." She eyed the Pope in a way that made him calm down enough to say: "Splendid idea. We shall all rest now and regain our powers for the upcoming battle."

* * *

Jane sat in the darkness in one of the Papal gardens. The only noise was the one of the fountain in front of the bench on which Jane was sitting. The calm noise of falling water together with the cool calmness of the night soothed her. Jane liked the darkness and the night. It was easier to hide in it, if you needed it. And Jane had often needed to hide, not just after she had been changed. She shuddered when memories of her human years returned.

Jane closed her eyes and tried to think of something happy to calm her. This was usually very hard, and that night was no exception. None of her happier memories seemed to work; they all included Alec, and her mind was instantly turned towards their human years together. The enclosure, the fear.

That was when she thought of their last hunt together, in Florence. She tried to think of the feeling when she saw Alec in the window of his shop, their reunion. It calmed her, but only a very little. In her mind, Alec went to see to his costumer, and she saw his face. _Julio's_ face.

Her mind fast-forwarded through time, and they were in the alley with the tense air and obscure illumination from the street lamps. And then his voice, his words. _I love you_.

"Giovanna?" Jane's eyes snapped open to find a dark figure in the opposite corner of the garden.

"Who is it?" she asked when she gave up identifying the man herself.

The figure stepped forward, revealing a man wearing dark leather clothes, his face covered with red hair.

"Micheletto," she stated.

"I thought everybody had returned to sleep after the meeting," he said.

"It appears that at least two did not live up to your expectations," she said. He sat down beside her, leaning back.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"About what?"

"Whom should the shepherd protect – the lamb or the flock?" The way he said it made it sound as if he was mocking the metaphorical way in which the Pope and his son had spoken.

"Both," Jane said, "and if that proves impossible, he must protect the flock."

"Do you think it would be possible to save both?"

"Perhaps, if you had enough shepherds." He chuckled.

They sat in silence for a while, before Jane said: "Why do you offer so much to him? Cesare Borgia, I mean. What does he pay you for your services?"

"Not all needs payment," Micheletto answered simply.

"But you are not amongst those who don't," Jane stated.

"True."

"Then what _do_ you gain?"

"Nothing," he said, "nothing, but the chance to be with him."

"Is that so important that you would kill for it?" Jane asked.

"Yes."

"How long have you known each other?" Jane asked, changing subject.

"We are childhood friends."

"Do you love him?"

"Of course I do," he said, ignoring the way that she inclined that she meant to say if he _loved _him, as more than just friends.

"Do you love him…" Jane trailed of, trying to put her question into words, "…_that_ much?"

"That would be against the laws of our Lord," Micheletto answered, avoiding the question.

"And killing is not?" When Micheletto didn't answer, Jane continued: "I know you blaspheme in other ways – murdering – for him."

"Yes," he whispered, "They are."

Micheletto rose quickly from his seat and marched out of the garden. Jane could do nothing but sit still and stare.


	14. Chapter 13 the Calm Before the Storm

**Once again, thanks to you Jazzy for being so supportive! I hope you're right ;))**

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**Chapter 13: The calm before the storm**

Pope Alexander had once more called for a meeting since the last one had ended so unsuccessfully. This time, Jane was led by a Vatican servant to a room that, according to the servant, was a back room to the College of Cardinals – and it did look like a back room; it was furnished with a wooden table and wooden chairs that, compared to the rest of the glorious rooms in the Vatican, looked cheap.

Jane was the first one to arrive at the meeting, so she sat down one of the chairs to wait. She didn't have to wait long before another person arrived. Vice Chansellor Sforza entered the room, his face calm as always. He smiled a little at Jane and greeted her, and she responded politely as he found a chair.

"Are you the only one who has arrived?" he asked.

"Obviously."

"Yes." He looked at his hands, folded in front of him on the table. "How long have you known the Pope?" he asked, looking up again.

"Since just before the late Pope Innocent died," she said, and Ascanio quickly drew a cross over his chest in respect of the former Pope.

"Before the conclave, then?"

"Yes, and before he was elected Pope, Cardinal," she added with a devious smile, "that was what you were asking for, was it not?"

He smiled. "You supported him before his election?"

"I did. Him and no other."

"And if he had not been elected, what would you have done then?"

"I see," she said, "You want to know if I can be trusted?" Ascanio nodded.

"I want to know if the life of the Pope of Rome is safe around you."

"He is, believe me," Jane answered, but she could tell that wasn't enough: "I chose to support a cardinal, any cardinal, _before_ the conclave, so that he would trust me. But I did not plan on killing the next Pope. My plan was, and remains, to gain power, wealth and influence to my family."

"So you choose to remain in the shadows?" Ascanio said, pointing out the irony in her goal.

"Power can be many things, Cardinal Sforza, and so can wealth and influence."

In that moment, a door – another door from the one Jane and the cardinal had entered through – opened, and the Pope marched in.

"Where are all the others?" he asked, sitting down on one of the chairs.

As if summoned, the door through which Jane had entered opened and Cesare, Giulia and Micheletto entered.

"Excuse us our delay, Holy Father," Cesare said and sat on the chair closest to him, while his servant, Micheletto, stood by the wall. He preferred to stand, Jane knew, because he felt immobile when he sat. Giulia walked past the Pope, where she purposefully let her fingers run across his shoulder and around the back of his neck, before she found a seat next to Jane.

"You are excused," the Pope said, his gaze following Giulia as she sat. He cleared his throat and said: "We suggest that we continue the discussion from yesterday – about the French king, not the shepherd," he added, which caused a few to laugh (Cesare clenched his jaw, as if to stop himself from saying something, so Jane supposed that he and his father had already settled that matter in private).

"We had sent Giovanna Volturi to Ostia to settle the disagreement between me and former Cardinal Della Rovere, but by then he had already fled to France to speak to Charles," Rodrigo continued.

"He left a letter for me, on which he told me to deliver a message for our Holy Father – the message said that he had left to France to speak to the king," Jane explained.

"The king has long had a vague claim on the throne of Naples, and Rovere, as much of a coward he may be, is still clever enough to use this as an excuse for the king to come here," the Pope continued.

"So now you fear that the Papacy might be in danger?" the Vice Chancellor asked.

"I do indeed," the Pope said, leaning back in his chair, "and I would bring this up the next time the college meets."

"But surely, Your Holiness still has the support of Giovanni Sforza?" Giulia asked, her voice doubtful as if she already knew the answer. The Pope didn't answer, but looked at Ascanio inquiringly. Ascanio shifted in his seat.

"My cousin's behavior since the marriage has disappointed even me, Holy Father," he said after drawing in a deep breath, "but I do not think that he would ever break an alliance without warning, especially not one with such significance."

"And if he did?" the Pope inquired.

"I would be both surprised and disappointed. I would feel shame in being related to him, but that is all that I can tell you." Ascanio seemed uneasy when he spoke about his cousin, and Jane couldn't help but wonder how two so different people could be from the same family.

"For now, we put our faith and trust in God and His good will, and pray that your cousin is as honorable as you make him sound," the Pope said. He walked to the door which he had stepped in through and said: "Giovanna, would you please follow me."

It wasn't a question, but a command. Jane rose from her seat and followed the Pope through a door which led to another room much like the one she'd just left, except it was smaller and there were only two chairs on each side of a table.

After they had both sat down, the Pope said, "You met Machiavelli in Florence?"

"Yes, I did," Jane answered, not sure exactly what the Pope wanted to know.

"Is he as cunning as my son makes him sound?"

"If not more so," Jane answered honestly, thinking of the genius of a man that she'd met in Florence. When the Pope didn't start talking, she continued, "He is careful to let any information spill, and to make out the meaning of his words can be a riddle at times, but I believe that his reluctance to make promises is a sign that what he does promise, he keeps to the best of his might."

"What did he promise?"

"He promised to do the best he could to keep the Florentine arms turned against the French, in return for a later favor-"

"-the installation of him as head of the Second Chancery in the still non-existent Florentine Republic, yes," the Pope said. "He does have a weakness towards power."

"As do you," Jane commented with a little smile.

"It would be a small price to pay for the support during the oncoming war, and if I did help him he would be more loyal to me, no doubts," the Pope mused, his thoughts wandering away. Jane let him think this over for a while, not saying anything. After being silent for a couple of minutes, the Pope rose from his seat and walked over to the wall, looking into either the wood or nothing.

"And," he said, running his index finger over the wood absent-mindedly, "what of my dear Lucrezia?"

The fact that he had turned his face away from her revealed a lot; it revealed that he was either ashamed or sad, and, under the circumstanced, probably both. "She is all right, taken her situation," Jane said in a calm voice. Right now was not the time to scold Rodrigo for his decision. "She is happy to be able to help her family."

"Is she very angry with me?" he asked, his voice worried.

"No, Holy Father, she still loves you," Jane answered honestly.

"I have had dreams of her, Giovanna," he said, his finger stopping its movement, "Horrible dreams." His fingers continued to trace the patterns of the wall again. "Dreams where she dies. She tells me that she can never forgive me and she sends me into Hell's flames."

"Lucrezia would never do such things, Holy Father, and I give you my word that she is still alive. Giovanni might be spiteful, but he would never kill her, not with the consequences that there would follow," Jane said, trying to soothe him.

"And what consequences will there be," the Pope said, his hand falling to his side, "when the French army are finished with us?"

* * *

Jane sat in one of the libraries, a book opened in front of her, but she didn't seem to be able to remember the words for long enough to read an entire sentence. Her mind kept wondering towards the oncoming war. She worried for the outcome because she wasn't as sure of Giovanni's reliability as anyone else seemed to be.

"Giovanna?" asked the pleasant voice of Ascanio Sforza. He was standing in front of the table, just a few steps away.

"Cardinal," she answered with a polite smile. Ascanio stepped a few steps forward to stand right in front of the desk.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"About what?"

"Do you think that my cousin will come to the Pope's aid?"

Jane leaned backwards in her chair so that she could better see Ascanio's face. "When I met him while I visited Lucrezia, he did not strike me as an honorable man, but you said that he usually kept his promises, so I choose to trust you – even if it is merely because that is our only hope."

Ascanio smiled for a second. "Then I fear that we do not have much hope. I remember Giovanni as a child, and back then he spoke of becoming a great man. I think something went wrong after that; there was always something strange about his family's home," Ascanio said, his face nostalgic, "Back then, I trusted him, but now I am not so sure."

"If we cannot trust your cousin, then we must put our faith in God, just as the Pope told us to," Jane said reassuringly.

"Giovanna, I…"

Ascanio was cut off by Giulia Farnese's call from a few feet away. "Giovanna!" she called with a smile.

"Giulia," Jane greeted and Ascanio followed her example.

"Vice Chancellor," Giulia said with a smile and a nod in his direction, "I think that the cardinals will conjugate in an hour or so. You should probably prepare yourself."

"Then I shall leave you," he said as answer, turning around to leave the room. When he passed by Giulia, she leaned towards him and whispered in his ear. The cardinal stood still for a second, then continued his pace towards the door.

"Oh," Giulia said, twisting her upper body to look at the cardinal who was standing by the door, "Cardinal Orsini spoke about the funds of the Papacy. He said that there is not quite enough money to lead a war; the whole Papacy now lies on the shoulder of your cousin. I hope he does not let us down."

Ascanio nodded and walked away quickly. Jane moved her gaze to look into the dark eyes of Giulia 'la bella'. "Do you not trust him, Giulia?" she asked.

"Trust him? I find it hard to trust anyone from that family," she said, returning Jane's gaze. Jane sighed. "But that is not what I came to talk to you about," Giulia continued with a mischievous smile. Giulia sat down in front of Jane's desk to better face her. "A long time ago, before all of this nonsense with the Sforzas, you asked me for an advice. Of love."

Jane nodded; she could hardly deny it. "So, can you now tell me who it is you needed advice about – and has it worked?" Giulia leaned over the table with an almost conspiratorial gleam in her eyes.

Jane smiled and shook her head. "I have found no one of interest," she said. It was only partly a lie, she told herself.

"Well, you must marry soon, must you not?" Giulia asked. "I am unaware of your exact age, but you must be past 15 years now, and even that would be a little young compared to the amount of help you have been able to give us."

"15 years, that is my age," Jane decided, "and I shall marry when I like and with whomever I find of my liking," she continued.

Giulia smiled indulgently. "But surely your father must insist that you marry."

"He has not mentioned marriage yet," Jane answered.

Giulia laughed in disbelief. "Not a single time?"

"Not a single time."

An idea seemed to take form inside Giulia's head. "Cardinal Sforza?" she asked.

"What of him?"

"Do you love him? Or find him interesting?" Giulia said, lowering her voice.

"No!" Jane exclaimed, not lying in the least, "Why would you think that?"

"Because," Giulia said, "I think he has interest in you."

"But he is a cardinal – he has taken his vows," Jane hissed, even though this conversation was slightly amusing.

"So has the Pope, and that doesn't seem to keep him from keeping a lover." Giulia seemed to blush a little. "Or so I have heard."

Jane's mouth curved into a smile before saying, "If I should fall in love, it would be to a man who is not already married to God."

The topic quickly changed and as the two young women chatted and laughed together in the library of the Vatican, they – for a short while – forgot everything of the oncoming war. Because there _would_ be a war, and it would be a hard one to get through if you stood against the French and their canons of war.


	15. Chapter 14 The Secret Power of A Woman

_Once more an crazy sweet review from my anonymous reviwer Jazzy. Thanks once more - I promise in return to respond to those reviews in these small A/Ns that I make.. :-D Thanks so much for the support!_

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**Chapter 14: The secret power of a woman**

_June 16th 1494_

Rome had in the last few months been busy preparing for wartime; many were preparing to flee to the neighboring states, whilst a very few others, more loyal, if stupid, citizens worked extra hours to prepare Rome for the fight, and, hopefully, to survive it.

Meanwhile, inside the secrecy of the Vatican, the more 'holy' of the citizens – the priests and cardinals – were trying to disguise their plans of doing exactly the same as the rest; fleeing. Once again, the Pope's position was threatened.

Jane was one of those who were planning to stay. After all, she had nothing to lose; canons held no threat to a vampire. And if she stayed, the Pope would undoubtedly trust her with even more.

Jane was seated in her library, explaining all of this to her brother in a letter. She had already explained it to him a dozen times – _and still he doesn't understand,_ she thought with a smile. It had been months since she'd last seen him; time seemed to run past so quickly when you lived among the humans. So much happened in so little time, probably because the humans had so little time on earth.

A thing that Jane avoided thinking off when she wrote her letters was how much she had to fight to not write about Julio – how was he, where was he, when would she see him again? Jane hadn't seen Julio since Alec found a new messenger. His explanation had been that Julio was more interested in science now, so he wouldn't waste his time as messenger.

But then again, it was probably for everyone's good, she often thought. If he had really meant what he'd said that night – _I love you_ – then she wouldn't want to see him again, give him false hope.

Jane looked at the clock. There was still a little less than an hour until the meeting. Jane spent most of her days in meetings with the Pope, Ascanio, Cesare and Juan. Sometimes, a cardinal of something would join them, or perhaps Giulia or Micheletto, but mostly the meetings were very small and secretive.

A servant entered the room. "A guest for you, signorina," he announced and let in a man dressed in the blood red cloak and the hat of a cardinal.

"Ascanio," Jane said. Her surprise showed in her voice as she rose from her chair, "I wasn't expecting you."

"I know, and I apologize," he answered quickly, "But I have a matter that I wished to discuss with you."

"About the meeting tonight?" Jane inclined.

"No… is there a meeting tonight?" Ascanio looked completely blank. It was probably the first time that Jane had seen him taken aback.

"Yes, in an hour or so."

"The Pope is having a secret meeting without his Vice Chansellor," Ascanio mused, and continued ironically, "I wonder what that will be about."

"I…" Jane trailed off, thinking of a polite way of putting it, "I think he might be keeping the meeting from you because he wants to discuss you and the other cardinals, whether you're staying in Rome or not."

"Yes, that is it, I suppose," Ascanio said, "which brings me on to my subject," he said. Jane raised her eyebrows at him. "I wanted to ask what you thought. Surely, you are leaving, but…"

Jane cut him off: "Why should I leave?"

"You're a woman," he said simply. Jane frowned at him, and he continued: "A woman has no obligation to stay, so why would you?"

"Because I support the Pope," Jane answered.

"There are a lot of people who support the Pope, and very few who stay," he said, "The Pope would be silly to expect that from you."

"Are you staying?"

Ascanio stayed silent. The seconds passed. The answer was written in the air around him, but Jane wanted to hear the words; words of treachery.

He cleared his throat. "I wish you would have answered no to my question, since it would have made my answer easier. No, I will not be staying."

Jane just stared at him. Desperately, he stepped forward and said: "Giovanna, how can anyone expect me to? I have no support. If the King wins, I would either die or be banished. And my family would not want to support me. Also, I would not be fleeing, I would just be leaving – I would find work to do, help orphans or work in any way. It would not be fleeing."

"What is the difference?" Jane asked, "The only difference is the words you use, the action is the same. When you leave some place to avoid something you fear, it is called fleeing."

"But surely you can see my reason to do it?" he said, taking a step more forward, pleading her to absolve him.

"I can see the reason why anyone would flee. But that does not make the crime any lesser," she answered.

They stood in silence for a while, none of them knowing what to say. Finally, Jane broke the silence. "I actually thought that you were different from your cousin, better," she said, "Now, if you will excuse me, I have a letter to write." Ascanio just nodded and left, apparently not finding the right words to say.

Jane stood still for a moment, thinking about their discussion. Honestly, she didn't find it cowardly that he fled – after all, there was a pretty good reason to fear the French army – but she and the Pope needed him here. She hoped that she somehow had convinced him to stay.

"Was that Cardinal Sforza who just left?" Giulia asked, having just appeared in the doorway. She had a veil in a light red color drawn over the shoulders of her dark red dress. Her hair was done in a thick braid with silk threaded into it that circled her head. Jane nodded. "Yes, he was just asking for some advice," she answered, then added: "About the war."

"A cardinal asks you for advice?" Giulia said with a smile of disbelief, "You make me proud."

"You should be," Jane said – and she really should be. Giulia Farnese had been like a tutor to Jane, teaching her about the many complicated policies that you, especially as a woman, had to know. Giulia seemed to know it all; who had power and influence, who supported what, and what political opinion a person had. She even knew most of their small, crucial secrets. When Jane had asked her how she had gained all this knowledge, taken that Giulia was a woman and surely no man would tell her all of this, she had answered plainly: _Men tell us more than they think, and we should like to keep it that way. Their ignorance is our power._

"I was wondering if you wanted to join me for a walk," Giulia said lightly, "I was thinking about going to the market place, to get my thoughts off the war."

"It sounds like a good idea," Jane said, "I think I need to distract my thoughts, too."

* * *

Giulia and Jane walked side by side, sometimes commenting on the booths that they walked past, but otherwise silent.

"Fine silk for low prices!" A man called from the booth that they were passing by. His shout was followed by a hiss from a woman: "Paolo, you fool, no one is going to by your stupid silk. There is a war going on!"

When Giulia heard this, she stopped with a small, playful smile. She turned around gracefully and walked those few steps back to the booth. Jane followed her, wondering what she was planning to do.

"Silk," she commented when she was standing in front of the booth. "May I?" she said as she reached out for a silk handkerchief in a deep, red color. The man nodded, shocked that he had actually attracted a costumer. Giulia smiled reassuringly at him, and then focused on the red silk that she ran over her fingers.

"I could not help but overhear that you said that silk was useless now that war is coming," Giulia said, her gaze moving to the woman who had been scolding the merchant for a moment before looking back at the handkerchief, "but can you not see how important this piece of cloth is? It can dry away those tears that inevitably will fall when the war starts. And do you know why that is important?" she asked, looking up again. The woman shook her head, looking as if what she wanted the most right now was to just run away.

"We can hide our tears and therefore our weakness. Is that not important during a war?" she asked.

"Yes, signora," the lady said, backing off, not knowing what to do with herself.

"How much does it cost?" Giulia asked the merchant.

"For you, 2 florins, signora," he said and added jokingly: "You are the first one in a long time who has been able to silence my wife so effectively." The wife glared at him but said nothing while Giulia laughed heartedly. Giulia handed the man two florins, hid the handkerchief in one of the folds of her gown and walked on. Behind them, the shop was already being crowded by people who wanted to buy the same silk as Giulia _la bella_.

"That was a lot of fun," Giulia said, "but there is, in fact, another reason why I wanted to talk to you."

Jane looked at Giulia, silently telling her to continue. "I have spoken to Vanozza dei Cattanei, Lucrezia's mother," she said.

"Is that so?" Jane asked, frowning. She knew that Vanozza had for a long time been very jealous of Giulia, as Giulia had been the one to replace her as Rodrigo's lover. Jane had witnessed a few embarrassing scenes including Vanozza and either Rodrigo or Giulia or both, where she would usually be screaming at them or try to persuade Rodrigo to take her back. Luckily for her, and her family, those scenes had always taken place in private places.

"It would have sounded impossible to my ears a week ago, too," Giulia said, "but it appears that she has gotten some of her sanity back. Not that I do not understand her jealousy, indeed it is very comprehensible. I am not sure what I would do myself, should I be replaced by a younger model. I feel streaks of jealousy even if he merely looks at other women, but Vanozza has apparently gotten over her time of jealousy. A few weeks ago she apologized to me, and since then, we have grown closer."

"Yes," Jane said just to show that she was still following.

"Both of us are growing very weary of the old cardinals and the games that they like to play," Giulia said, "and we have decided to help the Pope to gain some more… influence on them." Jane nodded when Giulia paused and she continued: "We thought it would help if we knew some of their secrets, secrets we can use against them."

"What are you suggesting?" Jane asked with interest in her voice.

"Vanozza and I have mostly discussed visiting brothels and public houses that we know they visit. If we have names, dates and witnesses enough, we can use it against them. For the good of the Church, of course."

"How are you planning to achieve this?" Jane already knew what the answer was.

"As women we have hidden power. No one suspects us to do such things, and we have our charms," Giulia said, stopping to look into Jane's eyes: "You see, Giovanna, beauty – it can be deadly when well used."

* * *

_November 30__th__ 1494_

The moon was new so the night was black, and the two shadows covered in red cloaks were almost covered by the darkness. One of them was female, her blonde hair pulled into a net and her red eyes dreadfully close to the color of her cloak. The other was male; his clothes were the ones of a cardinal, in the same color as hers. They made their way swiftly through the streets of the Vatican City, nearing one of the most holy places.

The man reached out and pushed open a set of large, wooden doors, and they both entered quickly, closing the doors behind them.

Jane was instantly taken aback by the room she entered; not by how beautiful it looked, but by what kind of determination there had had to be behind this sort of artwork. The walls and ceiling were covered by the most complicated, beautiful paintings, making the supreme architecture look like a child's work. The darkness of the night made the Chapel seem darker than it was. The colors of the paintings faded away underneath the shadows, but that only made the sight even more breathtaking.

The dark, shadow-filled room made her cloak stand out in contrast as she moved over the floor, letting her hands stroke lightly over the objects that she passed, her eyes filled with awe, never letting her gaze fall from the ceiling.

"Is it true what they say?" she asked Ascanio, in a voice that sounded like a breeze of wind in the quiet room, just as her steps felt feather-light, "that those paintings tell the stories of Christianity?"

"I have heard they do," he answered, to which Jane reacted with a small smile, still not letting her gaze move from Michelangelo's magnificent work on the ceiling, until she reached the end of the room. Her eyes fell down and looked at another unspeakably beautiful creation.

"The Last Judgment." Ascanio was suddenly by her side. She looked at him and let out a breathy laugh. "I cannot tell you how grateful I am to you for showing me this," she said, looking back at the wall.

"I would not call it a great gift," he murmured. "It was meant as an apology for my treachery."

She turned to face him, looking at his nearly middle-aged face. And then he leaned in, his lips brushing over hers in a flicker of a moment, then they were gone, so quickly that she could have thought it an illusion. "Sorry," he breathed, stood still for a moment, then turned around and walked out of the chapel in hurried steps.

Jane stood still for a while, four fingers brushing her lips, surprised at her feelings; no love, no attraction, no lust. No disappointment, no anger, no embarrassment. Just thirst.


	16. Chapter 15 Return of the Vatican Sun

Thanks again, Jazzy! I've already planned out pretty much the rest of this story, but if you have any ideas, feel free to comment some of those :-D

* * *

**Chapter 15: Return of the Vatican sun**

_October 1st 1494_

Jane rushed down to the hall when she heard the front doors open and close. When she had returned the night before she had found the house disappointingly empty, and she definitely hadn't been able to rest. She hadn't even been able to collect her thoughts enough to hunt, in spite of the blood thirst that the kiss had led to.

When Jane finally reached the lower steps of the stairs she found Giulia staring at her, her brown deer eyes wide. "Giulia!" Jane exclaimed.

"Giovanna?" she asked, her voice low and trying as if she was talking to a crazy person, "how is it that you look?"

Jane only then realized that her dress was rumbled and that strays of hair had fallen loose around her head. "I need to tell you something," she continued, ignoring her lack of composure.

"Okay," Giulia said, her eyes worried as she followed her house mate to the upper floor. When they entered a small living room and both had found a seat, she asked: "What is it?"

"Yesterday night, I visited the Sistine Chapel," she said, not sure how to get to the point.

"_Night?"_ Giulia asked, "How did you get in there?"

"I… well, the Vice Chancellor brought me," Jane told her.

"Sforza?" Giulia asked, but then changed her mind and said: "Why on Earth do I need to know this?"

"Because, you see," Jane said, gathering herself, "he kissed me."

"_What?"_ Giulia nearly screamed, rising from her chair. She sat down again quickly, gathering her composure before she continued: "You kissed him?"

"No!" Jane answered, shocked, "No, _he _kissed _me_ – and I did certainly _not_ kiss him back!"

"Thank the Lord," Giulia breathed, "I almost thought that you were going to tell me that you _loved _him!"

Jane burst into uncontrollable laughter at that. "How could you think _that_?" she asked between giggles. Giulia began to laugh, too. "It's not that hard, you know, with the way you two have been talking the last few months. And he loves you, you do know that?"

Jane stopped laughing. "He does?" she asked, her brows drawing together.

"Yes, of course he does," Giulia said.

"Oh, no," Jane said at the prospect of dealing with _love_. War was no problem – but _love_. She had no experience with that, after all. This kind of love was virtually forbidden in the Volturi clan because it gave too much trouble. Heartbreaks between vampires could be very harsh and would mostly include a few deaths. Even in the eternal death, love was a strong feeling.

Before Jane could say or think more about it, a servant entered the room, panting and his face red from running. At first he stood in the door, supporting his weight against the doorframe, but then straightened and said: "The Pope wishes to see both of you, in the Vatican."

"And why is that?" Giulia asked, mostly out of curiosity. She was already rising from her seat.

"Lucrezia has returned."

* * *

Giulia and Jane were led to a small room furnished with a table circled by six chairs and one more at one of the table ends, which was right now occupied by the Pope of Rome. A few steps away from him stood one of the most beautiful – if not the single most beautiful woman – in all of Europe at that time. The bangs of her long, wavy, shining, blonde hair was pulled back from her face, and she was once again dressed in a dress that matched her beauty – a light pink one with complicated embroideries that matched her crystal blue eyes.

Her face broke into a smile that lit her face like the sun itself – but it was no longer an innocent and beautifully naïve smile, but the one of a woman who had seen darkness, evil. Even in her young age of 14, she had already been forced into adulthood.

"Giovanna, Giulia!" she shrieked when she saw them, running towards them and pulling both of them into a desperate hug, the witness of her sadness during her marriage. When Lucrezia drew away from them, Jane could see the warm smile that had spread on the Pope's face; it was a smile that Jane knew could only be found by Lucrezia. She was truly the sun of this Vatican.

"Please sit," Rodrigo said, gesturing to the chairs, and both Jane and Giulia found a place to sit. Within seconds a servant had brought them glasses and wine.

Lucrezia seemed unable to sit; she tried, but only a few seconds later, she jumped up again. Now she was standing on her toes, leaning towards the door as if she was trying to see through it.

Just then, the door opened and Jane knew that the one Lucrezia had waited for had just materialized.

"Sister!" Cesare called as soon as he'd entered, running across the floor towards her and sweeping her up into a tight hug, sending her into small giggles.

"Cesare," she whispered into his ears. Jane knew that the only three persons who could hear that word were Cesare, Lucrezia and herself, thanks to her vampire powers. She could also see the little, but overwhelmed smile, that appeared on Cesare's face when she said his name. His lips formed a 'yes?' into her hair. They stood like that for way longer than appropriate, but there was no one in that room who cared, and even if there was, Jane knew that it wouldn't stop them from standing together for as long as they wanted and needed.

Lucrezia was the one to draw back and only then she realized the presence of a sixth person in the room; her other brother, Juan. Her lips curled into a small smile that still held the warmth of sisterly love, but it was obvious to anyone that they had their problems. "Brother," she said and kissed him on the cheek.

"Sister," Juan answered with his usual smirk.

Lucrezia turned to her father. "Where is mother?" she asked, searching his face. She knew that her mother had been excluded from her marriage, so of course she would be afraid that she was once more kept away from her mother.

"Here, love," the still beautiful Vanozza answered. The Pope rose from his seat, his mouth agape, but when he saw the happiness in his daughter's eyes, he stayed silent.

Vanozza dei Cattanei, who had entered the room soundlessly, was a true Spanish beauty. Her eyes were brown and dark and her hair was a dark brown and heavy with curls. Her face still held a lot of beauty in her middle-aged years, and her eyes held the wisdom of a woman who knew how to make a man bow and scrape before her feet. Now that her jealousy had faded, her face held such a dignity that was only made stronger by her ability to keep it through so many years of being considered nothing more than a mistress.

When she drew her daughter into a hug, she succeeded in something none of the others had succeeded in; calming her. She slowly stroked Lucrezia's hair as she hummed, her eyes never leaving Rodrigo's. The Pope gave in and sat down.

The people, who were still standing, sat down. They were all taken aback when the doors opened once more. A servant, not of the Vatican's staff, Jane noticed, entered and said loudly: "Presenting Gioffre Borgia, prince of Squillace."

The Pope looked to the door with a small smile as his youngest child entered. The boy was merely twelve years of age and his boyish face looked sweet, even if it held some of the arrogance that Juan's face did.

Lucrezia stood up only to kneel in front of her brother. She put a hand on each of his shoulders and said. "I have missed you so dearly, brother," she said, her voice light with an emotion that Jane couldn't decipher. "But you are no longer a boy, are you? You are married now, I have heard."

The boy didn't answer his sister's question. Instead he said, "But sister, why were you not there?" he asked. His voice was as sweet as his face, and it held some childish sorrow. Jane hadn't been present at Giffre's wedding, either. In fact, she had never met or seen the boy before now.

"You know why," Lucrezia said in a soothing voice. "My husband wanted me with him, in Gradara." Lucrezia's smile faded only a little as she thought of her husband, but when she returned to reality it was brighter than ever.

"I don't think I like your husband, Crezia," he said, apparently using a nickname. "Father told me that he broke his oath."

Lucrezia's smile was still plastered to her face as she said, "I think he will be my husband for only a short while longer."

The entire room fell into an expectant silence until Rodrigo suddenly realized that Lucrezia had gestured for him to answer her unspoken question. "He will punished for his treachery, I will see to that."

You could tell that most people in the room had hoped for more than that, but they were satisfied for the time being. Lucrezia's bright smile vanished for a second and she looked down to the stone floor, trying to regain her composure. Then she looked up, smiling brightly once more. "How is she, your wife?"

"She is good," he said, happy to talk about something else. He showed the childlike wish to be grown-up and he was obviously happy to be married. "She has travelled to Naples to visit her brother, but she will return in short time."

"I look forward to meeting her, then," Lucrezia said, lifting her right hand from his shoulder to stroke his cheek.


	17. Chapter 16 Love and War

**Chapter 16: Love and war **

_February, 1495_

It was two days after Lucrezia's return that she was sent back to her husband again. The lack of cooperation from Giovanni Sforza's side had led the Pope to promise her an annulment, and she and Giulia Farnese were therefore sent to Gradara where they were to inform Giovanni of this.

Together with the Pope and Cesare, Jane had just said goodbye to the two ladies, and the three were now walking inside the halls of the Vatican. They were all desperate, knowing that the French armies were marching through Italy unhindered after having shattered a northern city.

Florence had been their last hope, but after the rumors of how brutally that city had been brought down, Niccolò Machiavelli had been unable to persuade Lorenzo de Medici, the ruler of Florence, to try to keep out the French. Instead, Lorenzo allowed the French to march in, and on top of that, he had even paid them not to harm anyone with both gold and hostages.

"We are truly sorry for what happened between my daughter and her husband," the Pope said, possibly just to say something. The sun was slowly moving down towards the horizon and the Holy city was bathed in a golden light.

"I am not," Cesare said, his voice hoarse and flat. "If that is what takes for you to see that Lucrezia is not just an item that you can sell, then it is worth the price."

"Not if the price is Rome, surely," Jane said, looking at him.

"It is not going to be, as we can still defend ourselves," Cesare said as the group slowed their pace until they stood still in the hallway.

"The Papal Armies?" the Pope asked, turning so that he was facing both Jane and Cesare. "That army isn't worth much more than a mouse is against a cat, compared to the French."

"Not with my brother as commander, no," Cesare muttered. Instantly, the Pope's correcting finger went up as he said: "I will not listen to this, Cesare, not on this day. How many times must I tell you that I need one son in the cloth and one in armor? Would you have _Juan_ put in the cloth?"

"Perhaps you made the wrong decision," Cesare said, and before his father could answer, he continued: "but that is not what I wished to speak about!"

"And yet you brought it up," the Pope breathed impatiently.

"Yes, because you should give it a thought!" Cesare almost screamed.

"Cesare!" the Pope snapped. Jane suddenly felt awkward; this was something private, and she wasn't sure what she was expected to do, so she just stood still. "Cesare… my son, please." The Pope reached out and took hold of the place where his son's neck curved into his shoulder, shaking him: "Control yourself."

Cesare seemed to breathe in deeply, filling his lungs with air, before nodding to his father. "I know that when it comes to strategy, you surpass your brother, but that is why I need you here, close to me, not on some military mission. Now, tell me your plan." The Pope stepped back to give his son some room.

"As you once taught me, when our artillery fail us, we must find other ways," Cesare said. "Another lecture you once gave me said that appearances can often proof to be the most important weapon."

"I do not see how my clothes can stop a cannonball from hitting the walls of Our Rome?" the Pope asked.

"They cannot," Cesare said, "but they can stop the cannons from being fired in the first place."

* * *

Lucrezia slowed down her horse when she heard the sounds of hundreds of hoofs against the forest floor further down the road.

"Do you hear that, Giulia?" she asked, turning to look at her travelling companion.

"I do, Lucrezia," she answered, stopping her horse.

"But… it sounds like an entire army!" Lucrezia said, her horse tripping nervously from side to side.

"I think that that is exactly what it is," Giulia said, her voice dead serious.

"The French?"

"We should get off the road," Giulia said, already turning her horse, but it was too late. Around the corner came the first few soldiers, and just as Lucrezia had said, they were wearing blue suits, indicating their nation. The soldiers in the front started to shout something in French, which made the soldiers behind them stop.

"Stay still," Giulia whispered after urging her horse to the side of Lucrezia's.

Two soldiers ran up to the women and gripped the reins to keep their horses still. "Une seconde, madames," one of the soldiers said. Both Lucrezia and Giulia were well-read enough to understand his words, and they turned their gazes towards the place where the front soldiers of the army had appeared.

After a minute or so, a large man wearing richly decorated blue clothes rounded the corner. By his side he had a monk whom Lucrezia recognized as Giuliano della Rovere. He was also surrounded by two more soldiers.

"Excuse me, my ladies, for this rough treatment, but it is wartime and I must be careful," he told them in almost fluent Italian, but with a French accent.

"There is no need to apologize," Giulia told him, sending him a charming smile. The king was definitely not handsome, if not sheer ugly, and he was probably not used to being the center of focus from a beautiful woman. Giulia knew she could use this for her own and Lucrezia's advantage.

"What are two beautiful women like you doing alone in a dark forest, in such dangerous times?" he asked.

"I am Giulia Farnese, from the house of Orsini, and I am accompanying Lucrezia Sforza, born in the house of Borgia. We are travelling to deliver an important message to her husband, Giovanni, in Gradara," Giulia presented.

"Lucrezia Borgia herself," the king mused, "they say you are pretty, but nothing prepared me for such beauty." As respond, Lucrezia looked down modestly, and Giulia knew that it was an act. She was happy that Lucrezia had remembered what she had taught her about the female charms and the many ways you could use them.

"I am afraid that your kin forces me to take you hostage, but if it is any consolation to you, it is not with my good will."

"Thank you," Lucrezia answered, "I hope you will be just as kind to me during my imprisonment as you are now."

"I will try to avoid imprisonment as much as possible," he said, gesturing to the soldiers that were still holding the reins that they should help the women dismount. Gratefully, the two women accepted the help, and stepped forward as the soldiers took their horses.

"Follow me, please," he said, "I think it may rain soon, so perhaps you would prefer to sit in my _chariot branlant_?"

* * *

Jane and Cesare followed the Pope into one of the rooms of the Vatican.

"Should I, the Pope of Rome, wear a _monk's robe_?" he asked, as he rushed through the door, closing it behind him.

"You know how fond the French king is of virtue and modesty," Cesare said to his father, "I am sure it would count in your favor if you seemed to be the same. You must remember that he has never seen you before, and first impressions are important."

"He may not have met me, but I am sure that della Rovere has not exactly spoken _well_ of me!"

"Exactly!" Cesare exclaimed, raising his hand, "it will make della Rovere seem unreliable."

"It could actually work," Jane cut in, "at least for long enough to calm the King. You can promise him the throne of Naples and he will be off." She raised her eyebrows at him.

"But I have no intention of giving him that throne," the Pope said, but then fell silent. "But of course, he doesn't know that…" The Pope suddenly looked up, an insane gleam in his eyes: "You two! You are brilliant! Truly brilliant!"

* * *

Jane walked out of the room after celebrating the solution with a glass of wine. The smile on her face lingered for a while as her thoughts wandered away from the war and into a line of thoughts that she would never recall.

Somehow, those thoughts were led onto a subject that she wished she could forget: Julio. She knew that he loved her, and that she was fond of him, but except for that she was utterly clueless. She wondered if she _could_ have a relationship with him, but she also knew that the laws of her clan forbid it.

She wondered what she'd do if he was there now.

_You need to make a decision,_ she told herself and closed her eyes, imagining him. _No, you definitely cannot have a relationship with him. It is too dangerous; love would weaken you_. She hated herself for that thought, but as soon as she had thought it, put it in words, even if it was just inside her head, she couldn't ignore the danger of loving someone anymore.

She sighed, when suddenly a very familiar voice spoke: "Jane?"

Her eyes flew open in reaction to Julio's tender voice. And there he was. The light from the setting sun fell through the arcades to his right and lit up one side of his face, leaving the rest of it in shadows.

He was standing a few steps away, facing her. She took those steps so that she was standing in an appropriate distance from him. "Julio?" she asked.

He smiled. "I just came to see how you were. Alec and I fled Florence a few days ago, when the French army invaded it. I wanted to warn you." All of it came out way too quickly, and when he'd finished, they both stood awkwardly silent.

"Thank you," she said, trying to keep her face and voice calm. She couldn't admit her feelings. Not to him, nor to herself.

"Alec is waiting for me in the forest," he said, awkwardly.

"You are leaving, then?"

"Yes," he said, "he told me to check on you."

"Okay."

Another awkward pause.

"Jane, when I leave…" he said, trailing off."When I leave, I think I may not return. Not to you, at least."

"Why not?" she asked, honestly shocked.

"Because… you know I love you, I told you that. But you do not have those feelings, not for me, at least," he blurted it all out at once, then took a pause and continued, a little more calmly: "I cannot stand to watch you every day and know that I mean so little to you."

"You do mean something to me!" Jane protested, knowing that she couldn't say anymore.

"Not enough. I am so sorry."

Jane breathed in and out several times before finally talking: "Goodbye, then," she said, the words feeling like a doom. He nodded, clearly hurt. Then he turned around. And walked away.

In the few seconds that it took for him to take a few steps, thousands of thoughts wandered through her mind: the times they'd had together; that night in Florence, when he'd said he loved her; how much she had missed him; how her life would be without him; how much she loved him.

She felt so relieved when she finally admitted it to herself that tears welled up into her eyes, but she didn't allow them to fall. "Julio," she breathed, her voice shaky.

He turned around.

It took her less than a second to subconsciously decide, and before he had said 'what', she had closed the distance between them. For a moment she stood before him, but then she leaned up, their lips locking, blocking the last stray of sunlight that had fallen in between them and unto the wall. Their shadows were as much one as they felt in that moment.

Her eyes closed into the kiss, pressing her lips desperately to his, trying to make him understand that he _had_ to stay. She felt his fingers on her hip, his left hand behind her neck, and she felt his shoulder under her left hand as she held onto him. Then she leaned back, the light again allowed to fall between them.

Her eyes met his for a few second before he, with a desperate growl, captured her lips with his once more. She opened her mouth and followed her instinct, letting her tongue slide over his bottom lip and into his mouth, enjoying the moan that escaped him. Her right hand trailed up his chest and into his hair, drawing him closer, now standing on her toes to reach better, to have better access to his mouth.

When they drew back, they were both flushed and breathing heavily and so, so, _so_ happy. The war may be coming, but even the French canons couldn't stop love from happening.


	18. Chapter 17 A Beautiful Deception

**Chapter 17: A Beautiful Deception**

"So, would you be willing to tell me what important message it was that you were to deliver?" the King asked after swallowing a piece of meat with some wine. He was sitting in the middle of a long table inside a tent. The army had built a camp a very short distance from the northern gates of Rome, and Giulia and Lucrezia had been kept as 'hostage' – but as they were women, their cells were a quiet luxurious tent, and they had dinner with the king and his generals.

Lucrezia swallowed the piece of meat too quickly as she was eager to answer the King's question, which resulted in a series of coughs, which she tried to hide as much as possible. She looked up, blushing with embarrassment, just to find that the King was smiling patiently and kindly at her. It somehow reminded her of her brother, Cesare. When she did something embarrassing or stupid, he would just smile lovingly. It was not that the King reminded her of Cesare, but this one thing – this forbearance with her stupidity – they had in common.

"It was a message from his Holiness the Pope," she answered.

"I have heard that your father is very secretive," the King answered. His voice was somehow warm and kind, the result of how women had looked at him for years in contrast to these women's kindness.

"In this matter, I do not believe that you can blame him," Lucrezia answered. The King murmured something and nodded, deep in thought as he tried to figure out what it might be.

Just then, a soldier came running in. "The Papal armies have marched out of the city!" he exclaimed.

* * *

"Why did you not just tell me?" Julio asked, holding Jane tightly. He smelled of him, and faintly of her brother, and he felt safe. It had been a while since Jane had felt safe.

"I suppose I…" she trailed off, then pulled back to look into his eyes, deciding to tell the full truth, "I didn't want to lose you… I thought if – if I didn't ever have you, then I'd – I'd never have to lose you. But that is not right is it?" she said, pausing. "I would lose you no matter what. I almost did, right there, when you almost left me."

"I will not _ever_ leave you," he said, pressing his forehead against hers, "You will never lose me."

"You should get back to Alec," Jane said, looking down.

"Yes, and you have a war to see to," he answered. Jane sensed that he wouldn't be able to pull back, so she braced herself and drew back. She could still almost feel his touch.

"Giovanna!" a voice growled from behind her. She turned around swiftly, taken aback by the Pope of Rome who was hurrying around the corner, his white robes floating around his feet. "We have looked for you everywhere!"

He seemed to realize that she had company and stopped dead. "I do not believe I have been presented to this man. Is he a friend of yours?" he asked, looking from Jane to Julio with a very knowing gleam in his eyes – too knowing, taken that he had sworn oaths of celibacy.

"This is Julio, my brother's apprentice," Jane presented, deciding that she wouldn't tell the Pope about their relationship just yet, "and he is indeed a friend of mine."

Julio stepped forward and took the Pope's extended hand to his mouth, kissing the Papal ring.

"May the Lord be with you," the Pope said as Julio rose to stand. "Now, I need to speak to Giovanna under four eyes."

Julio nodded, his eyes gazing anywhere but into the Pope's. "Holy Father," he said, before turning around.

Jane watched him leave and when he was out of earshot, the Pope spoke. "Is he a very dear friend of yours?"

Jane turned to look in his eyes. "Not as dear as you imply. Has Cesare ridden out?"

"He has," the Pope said, "I am about to change right now, in fact. I will have the King meet me in the throne room of the Vatican, and I will have_ you_ outside keeping an eye on him!"

* * *

Lucrezia sat once more on the white horse that had been taken from her when she was arrested. Now, though, she was wearing a thick, blue cloak edged with black fur. The king had donated it when he had seen how much worse the weather had gotten in just one night. Her hair was in a simple braid that trailed down her back – after all she hadn't been able to get any hairdressers in the French camp, so she and Giulia had had to do each other's hair.

She had been placed behind three rows of soldiers, with the king on her right and Giulia on her left, so she had to rise in her saddle to gaze upon the field in front of them. The Holy City was still out of sight, but facing the French was another army clad in red – the color of the Papacy. She had a large knot in her stomach, having seen with her own eyes exactly how effective the cannons were.

The battle, obviously, hadn't started yet. Instead, the armies remained completely still; she could see her brother, Juan, stand in front of his army, waiting for the right moment. How happy she was in that moment that Cesare hadn't gotten it his way; if Cesare was the leader of the Papal Arms on this day, he would be the one to die. She almost cried from the mere thought.

She rose in her saddle once more to see a surprising sight; out of the dirty, brown cloths of the soldiers, rode a man wearing a magnificent red robe, with golden jewelry that glistened in the sun. The cardinal rode in a short gallop halfway across the battlefield, a white flag waving from his right hand. When he had reached the middle of the battlefield, he stopped, waiting.

"It is my brother!" Lucrezia gasped, knowing that the only cardinal that had stayed in Rome for the battle was him. How she loved him for that; he never gave up.

"Cesare Borgia," the king spitted.

"He is holding a white flag," Lucrezia said, "He wishes to talk in peace."

The king snickered. "If there's one thing he does not wish, it is peace." Then he turned to the gun men and roared: "Prepare the cannons!"

"No," Lucrezia whimpered, looking from the king to her brother and back. This couldn't happen; he was holding a white flag! She could feel the tears pressing against her lids and her mind went blurry with despair. She knew that she had to act quickly, and she also knew that the king couldn't be talked to sense.

So she just kicked at the sides of the horse, urging it forward through the front rows of soldiers, quickly working it up into a gallop. She couldn't do anything but hope that this would work.

She let out the breath that she'd been holding when she heard the king roar commands for his soldiers: "Stop the cannons!"

Encouraged, she hurried her horse even more, kicking at its sides, urging it to quicken its gallop over the battlefield. She had to get to her brother, had to. She wanted to just scream out when the horse didn't run fast enough. Finally she reached her brother, slowing the horse to a stop. "Cesare!"

"Sister!" he exclaimed, shock evident in his voice. She felt relief wash through her body, his voice tearing away every single rest of despair. "What on Earth are you doing there?" he asked, gesturing towards the French.

"There is no time, brother," she said, "but you had a white flag, why?"

Cesare breathed heavily a few times, looking to his sides, then said: "Tell the king that the Pope wishes to meet him. Tell him that there must have been a misunderstanding, that the Pope is indeed willing to give him the crone of Naples."

"But…" Lucrezia said, not knowing what to do with this information since she knew her father well enough to know that he wasn't going to give the king Naples, not with Gioffre married to the current regent's bastard sister.

"Just say it!" Cesare said, raising his voice. She nodded quickly, then turned her horse and hurried back, looking over her shoulder more than once to see him still standing there, smiling at her. _I wish you were not my brother_, she thought suddenly, shocking herself. Why would she think that?

* * *

Jane looked around the throne room of the Vatican. It was strangely empty without the many cardinals and priests. The Pope sat in front of a bronze cross, on his knees, praying. "I will leave you now," she said. He didn't stop his silent messing, but she sensed his approval so she turned around and left the room. But instead of leaving entirely, she stopped on the other side of the door, leaving a crack open so that she could follow the oncoming events.

After a long while, where the Pope continued praying, noises could finally be heard from the halls. After a minute more, the double doors in the opposite side of the room were opened. In came the French king.

He had middle-length black hair and was more than slightly over-weight, but in those times that was just a sign of wealth. His black eyes seemed strangely sympathetic and his nose was very French. His face over-all was showing an expression of surprise in that moment.

Because what the king had expected to see when he entered that room was an arrogant Pope clad in the finest silk and most costly jewelry, sitting on the throne of Saint Peter's; instead he saw a monk clad in a ruffled, brown cloak, kneeling in front of a cross in deep prayer.

"Am I in the presence of the Pope of Rome?" he uncertainly asked. The Pope finished his prayer and then turned around.

"Yes."

The king instantly did the thing that was acquired of him; he walked over the floor to the now standing Pope to kneel and kiss the ring. Instead, the Pope just waved a hand, stopping him before he had knelt, and said: "Why would you kiss my ring? Am I not the one who should be kissing yours? After all, I am the one who pleads for mercy."

The king took a step back. "My sources have misinformed me," he said thoughtfully.

"In what way?"

"They described you as a sinful and arrogant Pope," the king answered. "I am afraid I believed them."

"Then we are both lucky that you have had the opportunity to see for yourself," the Pope said with a small smile: "Do you find me sinful or arrogant?"

"Quite the opposite, in this moment I find you god-fearing and humble, Holy Father," the king answered, "but I am afraid that it does not change my goal."

"Naples, if I remember correctly," Rodrigo said. Jane shuffled a bit to get a better look at the scenery through the small crack.

"Exactly," the king answered, then continued: "your son implied that you would be willing to give me the throne."

"Have I ever said anything to make you believe the opposite?" the Pope asked. Jane smiled; she knew how he must be enjoying it, discretely mocking one of his greatest enemies, Della Rovere.

"No, but my source did. The former Cardinal Della Rovere, whom you probably know, told me that you would probably stand on Alfonso's side." Alfonso was the heir to the throne of Naples and Gioffre's wife's brother.

"Della Rovere and I have some unfinished business, so I would not count him amongst the most reliable sources if you seek knowledge about me," the Pope said, "but I have to admit that I had not been planning on being a part of this war. As the Pope, my work is to keep Rome safe, not bring it to war."

"Jane?"

Jane almost screamed out in shock. It was only her vampire instincts that kept her silent. She turned around to look at the one who had spoken. In front of her, three men clad in black cloaks stood. Their eyes were blood red and their skin was so pale that you could almost see right through it. Aro stood in the middle, Marcus to his right, Caius to his left. Jane felt her stomach freeze by the sight of them; whatever their reason to be here was, it couldn't be good.

"Aro," she said, bowing before him, before straightening and turning to the other two. "Cauis. Marcus," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"We are here to take you back to Volterra," Caius said in his cold, slick voice.

"And why is that?" she asked. She sensed that she was missing out on some very important negotiations on the other side of the door, and her eyes kept flickering towards the crack.

"We have heard that your brother has made a discovery, one that he has not spoken to us about," Caius said.

"Then it is good that there is no law which says that a vampire needs to report every discovery they make to you," Jane said impatiently and added: "then we would do nothing but run back and forth between our homes and Volterra."

Aro smiled a little at her comment, but Caius remained as stone. "When the invention concerns vampires, it concerns us. And when it comes to such a drastic potion like the one in question, then there should be no doubt concerning whether or not to report it."

"Probably not, but I still do not understand why you are here to get me?" Jane asked, changing her defense, "After all, my brother was the one to invent it, not me."

"Firstly, you are his sister in all possible ways. We would think that you would take his defense," Marcus said, "and secondly, you have had good use of the potion yourself, I have heard."

"Defend him?" Jane asked, "Surely there is no trial? He did nothing illegal, much less anything wrong!"

"Keeping things from us never turns out good, and it would be beneficent for all vampires if you two learned that," Caius said, but a little flinch from Aro stopped him from continuing after that sentence. Jane annoyed Caius, she knew that. He liked the laws, he liked order, he liked status quo. Alec didn't, and Jane agreed.

"I will follow you free-willingly on one term, and that is I get to see the end of this," Jane said, gesturing towards the room where the Pope and King were debating. "And I will have to announce my leaving to the Pope."

"We don't…" Caius began, but Aro stopped him with the words: "Of course. We will give you until tonight, and at nightfall we leave."


	19. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Jane was left by the Volturi's and she turned around to look into the gap between the door and the wall once more. The throne room was empty.

Jane sighed and pushed open the door. She entered the empty room, the sound of her steps echoing as she crossed the floor. Looking around her, she thought of where Rodrigo might have taken the king, but she had no idea where they'd gone.

"Giovanna?" Jane heard Cesare's voice from the doorway, and turned around to face him.

"Cesare. Where is the Holy Father?" she asked.

"They went for a walk. The king wished to see the Vatican, and how could my father refuse?"

"I have to leave. Tonight," Jane told him. Cesare seemed startled - at least his focus was now more exclusively on Jane.

"Why?"

"My father has come for me. He, my brother and I need to discuss some things, family business, but I will be back as soon as it is sorted out," she told him.

"Do you need to leave tonight?" Cesare asked, "You will miss out on the celebrations that my father has undoubtedly planned."

"Undoubtedly, yes," Jane said with a hint of a smile, "but my father would have me in Volterra before the end of the week, so I will have to leave as soon as possible."

"How long will you be gone?"

"If I know my family, then even simple matters can draw out, but I will try not to make my absence too long," Jane answered.

"Well… when do you leave, then?" Cesare asked.

"Tonight, at nightfall. I was hoping to discuss today's events with the Pope before leaving, but I believe he will be plenty occupied keeping the king satisfied."

Cesare chuckled. "There, you are completely right."

"Can you deliver my message to him?"

"A message? Of course."

"Thank you," Jane said. She could feel the sun slowly moving downwards towards the horizon, and she knew she hadn't been given much time. "Tell him the things that I have already told you, and congratulate him with his victory."

"Is that all?" Cesare asked.

"That is all. Goodbye Cesare."

"Goodbye Giovanna," Cesare answered.

Jane walked out of the room and out of the Vatican convinced that she would return only a few months later.

When Jane met the three Volturi leaders on the fields outside Rome, right when the darkness of the night had fallen over Italy, she felt strangely sad. It was as if leaving with the vampires made her realize something that she seemed to have forgotten: she was a vampire. She had never, nor would she ever, really be a part of the human community that she had come to love.

It felt like she once again lost her home.


	20. Please Read!

**You made it!**

Oh, yes you did! You made it all the way to the end of this fanfiction, and thank you for that! I love you for it!

Now, I hope that you're sitting with a feeling of "Was that it?", because then I'll be happy to answer:  
NO, it is not!

Lucky you, I decided to upload a sequel! And the first 23 chapters are already available by a quick click on the link to my profile.  
I hope you do check it out, because I put a lot of work into it.

Anywhooo, if you're not so much into Jane anymore, you can go check out my Wattpad profile  
[if you don't know Wattpad, just google it]  
On there, my pen name is "ChickNAlfredo" - a bit simpler than this one, don't you think ;)

It's on Wattpad that I upload all my original fiction.

So... here's an extract from what awaits you if you decide to read on!

**Love,  
The writer**

* * *

**Extract - The Fall of Jane, ch. 1**

* * *

_I have only one evidence that fear is a stronger emotion than love; war._

**Chapter 1**

Jane's steps over the stone floors of the Volterra castle resonated against the dark walls covered in the traditional red color of her family. She was thinking about the past two years, filled with dread when she thought about how wasted her time had been. If this wasn't the day on which Julio got his judgment, she swore there'd be no stopping her from going to Rome again.

She was far gone in her own thoughts when suddenly a hand grasped her arm, pulling her into an empty room of the dark castle.

She twisted around quickly to take a look at the vampire. "Julio," she breathed when she saw the pale face and golden eyes that belonged to about the only vampire she trusted.

It didn't take Julio long to capture her lips with his, grasping her hair and pushing her against a nearby wall while Jane's hands travelled behind his back and neck. Tongues intertwined and teeth made small noises as the two vampires' mouths locked together.

Jane moaned against his lips as she pushed at his shoulders, parting their lips so that she could talk.

"We have five minutes until the meeting starts."

Julio's lips were travelling down her neck. "And how many do you expect will be there timely?" he asked.

Jane had to admit that it was hard to stay focused in this moment, but still she said, "We need to set a good example."

Julio kissed her deeply once more, and for a moment he managed to wash away her ability to form thoughts, but then he pulled away, slowly.

"Come on, then." He took her hand in his, leading her out into the hallway. When they were out in public, Jane quickly let go of his hand and walked a little ahead of him.

* * *

So... that's a bit of what you can expect!

**Check it out - it's free, after all**


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